Le Corbusier (1887-1965, born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris) was born in a small city surrounded by mountains in Switzerland.

At age 30, Le Corbusier left for Paris and began his career as a painter, but would then go on to gradually garner acclaim as an architect — discussing matters of architecture in the review publication, L’Esprit Nouveau. Later penning a manifesto entitled Le Corbusier’s Five Points of Architecture and spearheading the formation of the International Congresses of Modern Architecture, Le Corbusier’s contributions to the rise of New Architecture are considerable.

Aspiring for structures that instill joy in their inhabitants, Le Corbusier’s creations are both bright and functional. Residences with designs based on the proportions of the human body; centers of worship making optimal use of light and shadow; urban planning with special provisions made for the natural environment and traffic infrastructure — in considering his accomplishments, it would be fair to call him the most prominent architect of the 20^th century. 17 of his works across seven countries have been selected as UNESCO World Heritage sites: Villa Savoye and Notre Dame du Haut, selected in 2016; the National Museum of Western Art, created in cooperation with his Japanese understudies; and more.

With a body of work including drawings, sculptures, tapestries, cloisonné, block prints, and more, Le Corbusier strived for an integration of artistry across various forms of expression.