Auguste Perret | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Auguste Perret (1932) | |
| Born | (1874-02-12)12 February 1874 Ixelles, Belgium |
| Died | 25 February 1954(1954-02-25) (aged 80) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | AIA Gold Medal (1952) |
| Buildings | Théâtre des Champs-Élysées St. Joseph's Church, Le Havre French Economic, Social and Environmental Council Église Notre-Dame du Raincy |
Auguste Perret (French pronunciation:[ɔɡyst(ə)pɛʁɛ]; 12 February 1874 – 25 February 1954) was a French architect and a pioneer of the architectural use of reinforcedconcrete. His major works include theThéâtre des Champs-Élysées, the firstArt Deco building in Paris; theChurch of Notre-Dame du Raincy (1922–23); theMobilier National in Paris (1937); and theFrench Economic, Social and Environmental Council building in Paris (1937–39). After World War II he designed a group of buildings in the centre of the port city ofLe Havre, includingSt. Joseph's Church, Le Havre, to replace buildings destroyed by bombing during World War II. His reconstruction of the city is now aWorld Heritage Site for its exceptional urban planning and architecture.[1]
Auguste Perret was born inIxelles, Belgium, where his father, a stonemason, had taken refuge after theParis Commune. He received his early education in architecture in the family firm. He was accepted in the architecture course of theÉcole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, along with his two brothers, Gustave (1876–1952) and Claude (1880–1960). where he studied underJulien Guadet, aBeaux Arts neoclassicist who had collaborated withCharles Garnier on the construction of theParis Opera. Beyond the neoclassical rationalism he learned from Gaudet, Perret's particular interest was the structure of buildings and the use of new materials, such as concrete. Though he was considered a brilliant student, he left school without obtaining a diploma and went to work for the family firm.[2]
Perret immediately began experimenting with concrete. His first important project was an apartment building on rue Franklin in Paris (1903), where the concrete structure, instead of being concealed, was clearly visible and was a part of the exterior design. He made an even more radical experiment with the construction of a garage on rue de Ponthieu (1906) (now destroyed) with a simplified cubic structure expressing the interior, large bays of windows and a lack of decoration, which resembled the laterInternational Style.[2]
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His most famous building was theThéâtre des Champs-Élysées a project which he took over from theArt Nouveau architectHenry van de Velde. The facade was simple and decorated only with a sculptural bas-relief byAntoine Bourdelle. The corner of the building was smooth and rounded, anticipating theStreamline Moderne style three decades later. Thanks to the use of concrete pillars, the interior lobby and the theater itself was vast and open, unobstructed by columns. The interior decoration featured works by the modernist artists of the day; a dome byMaurice Denis, paintings byÉdouard Vuillard andJacqueline Marval, and a stage curtain byKer-Xavier Roussel.[2]
In his later works, Perret used concrete in imaginative ways to achieve the functions of his buildings, while preserving classical harmony, symmetry and proportions. His major works included the building of theFrench Economic, Social and Environmental Council, originally built for the Museum of Public Works of the 1937 Paris Exposition; and the Mobilier Nationale, the national government furniture atelier in Paris. He also created innovative industrial buildings, including a warehouse inCasablanca covered with a think veil of concrete (1915); thePerret Tower, the first concrete tower for the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism ofGrenoble (1925), to demonstrate his "Order of Concrete"; and the church of Notre Dame du Raincy (1922–23), where the interior columns were left undecorated and the concrete vaults of the ceiling became the most prominent decorative feature. He experimented with concrete forms to achieve the best acoustics for the concert hall of theÉcole Normale de Musique de Paris in Paris. (1929)[2]
In 1952, he completed construction of theSaclay Nuclear Research Centre in the Paris suburb of Essonne. He described this campus as a "small Versailles for nuclear research". Most of France's early nuclear reactors were constructed within the site.
His other major postwar projects included the reconstruction of the center of the port ofLe Havre, which had been almost totally destroyed during the war. His first plan was rejected as too ambitious, but his modified plans were followed. He also participated in the postwar reconstruction of theMarseille port and ofAmiens.
His last major work, finished after his death, was theSt. Joseph's Church, Le Havre, (1951–58) whose most prominent feature is its tower, like a lighthouse, 107 meters high, and visible at sea.[3]
Among the many young architects who worked in the office of Perret from 1908 to 1910 was Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who later became known asLe Corbusier; it was his first experience in an architectural firm.
From 1940, Perret taught at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts. He won theRoyal Gold Medal in 1948 and theAIA Gold Medal in 1952. His work was also part of thearchitecture event in theart competition at the1948 Summer Olympics.[4]
Perret also served as a juror withFlorence Meyer Blumenthal in awarding thePrix Blumenthal, a grant given between 1919 and 1954 to young French painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians.[5]
In 1998, thePerret Tower in Grenoble was declared a national heritage site by France.
In 2005, his reconstruction of Le Havre was declared a World Heritage Site byUNESCO.
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