Kangaroo Chair

by Pierre Jeanneret (1896 , Geneva, Switzerland - 1967)

for Chandigarh, India

Circa 1955

Teak and straw

H 61 x W 53,3 x D 77,5 cm

Pierre Jeanneret, cousin of the visionary Édouard Jeanneret - better known as Le Corbusier - was a member of the architecture and design team who got things done. In recent years, P. Jeanneret has emerged from Le Corbusier’s shadow, as collectors have discovered his skillful furniture design creations.

Jeanneret studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Geneva and after he graduated in 1921 he became a partner in Le Corbusier’s office in Paris. The pair collaborated on numerous residential projects, most notably the Villa Savoye, the iconic modernist house in suburban Paris completed in 1931. Jeanneret also worked with the great Charlotte Perriand on the Grand Modele line of tubular metal furnishings that was a sensation at the annual Salon d’Automne design expo in 1929.

A rift developed between Jeanneret and his cousin during World War II, as the former joined the French resistance, while Le Corbusier cooperated with the occupying authorities in Vichy. The two did not work together again until 1950, when Le Corbusier persuaded Jeanneret to help execute the master plan for the new city of Chandigarh in Punjab, India. Jeanneret lived and worked there until the final years of his life.