Furnishing a City

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Private collections continue to garner interest with buyers ranging from existing collectors to new enthusiasts and we are delighted to share this exemplary single owner collection of Pierre Jeanneret furniture. Acquired over 40 years ago in India, it has stayed with one family throughout its travels until appearing at Sworders’ 28 January Design sale.

^{Left/Right - Pierre Jeanneret: a pair of low stools (£1,500-2,500) | Center - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak and cane bench (£4,000-6,000)}

Arnold Andre Pierre Jeanneret-Gris was born in Geneva in 1896 and he received his formal education at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva, where he graduated in 1921. Jeanneret shared a close bond with his older cousin, Le Corbusier (born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) and in 1922 the two established a design atelier in Paris. During this time, Jeanneret also contributed as a writer to the influential avant-garde journal L'Esprit Nouveau.

After securing independence in 1947, the Indian republican government undertook an initiative to revitalise several major cities, aiming to make them more suited for modern living and reflective of modern ideologies. There was further reorganisation when the Indian state of Punjab was split, which proved to be significant for Chandigarh – the city at the centre of this story.

^{Front - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak bench (£4,000-6,000)} | Back - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak file rack (£4,000-6,000)

The Jeanneret cousins were invited by President Jawaharlal Nehru to present their plans for the city of Chandigarh in 1950. It was to become the new capital city in the Punjab region, exchanging the title with Shimla in 1953. Despite a slightly fractious relationship at times, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret reunited at the end of World War II and this reaffirmed partnership secured the commission to design the Indian city of Chandigarh in 1947. During this venture Pierre Jeanneret immersed himself in Chandigarh, assisting in the progress of the city’s development and taking personal charge of structures such as social housing, schools, universities, hotels, the Town Hall, and the Chandigarh Central State Library. He would stay on to become the head of the Architectural department at the University of the Punjab.

^{Left - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak and cane chair, one of four (£1,500-2,000) | Right - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak and cane linen chest (£4,000-6,000)}

Seating epitomised Pierre Jeanneret’s careful eye for design, catering his work for the environment the chair or bench was destined for. Given the enormity of the task, covering numerous institutions and building types, the furniture required an ease of construction to allow for the time pressures of the project. This resulted in an array of minimalist furniture that utilised domestic materials such as teak and rattan, which was abundant. In addition, these materials were particularly suited to weathering the local conditions and complemented the swift construction required.

This careful relationship between architectural and furniture design has distilled itself to an iconic period of city planning and development which has fuelled a recent fervour for Pierre Jeanneret’s furniture on the art market, despite being overlooked towards the end of the 20th century. The principles of locally sourced materials and clean lines resonate as, or possibly more, strongly than when this furniture was initially produced in the mid-20th century. Highlighted by the vast amount of contemporary copies of these iconic designs, that can be seen in many coffee shops and eateries today.

^{Left - Pierre Jeanneret: an 'Easy' armchair, one of a pair (£4,000-6,000) | Right - Pierre Jeanneret: a teak and cane linen chest  (£4,000-6,000)}

design@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778

Tuesday 28 January 2025 | 10am

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