Designed in 1937 in a dull neoclassical style for the Paris
Exhibition, the Chaillot Palace has been converted into a museum of
architecture, with a elaborate French name, La Cite de L’Architecture and du Patrimonie. One of its best
features is that it overlooks the Eiffel Tower with one of the best views of
this impressive 19th century structure, a signature of the Paris
skyline. Currently, the museum has a special exhibit of the life and works of
Marcel Breuer.
Marcel Breuer (1902-1981), a Hungarian of Jewish descent,
was one of the founders of modern architecture. Breuer joined the Bauhaus School
in the mid-1920’s, first as a student and later as a teacher. Here, he designed his famous tubular
steel chair, inspired by the curved handlebars of his bicycle. This chair, with its cantilevered leather
strapped back, seat and arms, has remained a classic piece.
After fleeing Nazi Germany in the early 1930’s, Breuer first
went to London and then to Boston where he taught at Harvard Architecture
school with Walter Gropius. He and
Gropius parted ways in 1941 when Breuer moved to New York to establish his own
architectural firm. He is credited
with the design of multiple private homes, the Ameritrust building in
Cleveland, the Whitney Museum in New York and the UNESCO Headquarters in
Paris.
He first focused on “people sized” objects—chairs, tables,
desks -- and then expanded to single family houses and finally large public
buildings. Marcel Breuer placed his own career in perspective when he commented
that architects of monumental projects must begin with smaller objects that
people can use. He felt this was a
necessary step to grand design since ultimately, all buildings are used by
people --- not giants.
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| Model for home in Lincoln, MA |
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