Sample Book, Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier defined his wallpaper as “a layer of oil paint in rolls.” He believed that the industrial prefabrication of his wallpapers would guarantee that his color palette would be faithfully observed on the building site. He chose the Swiss company, Salubra, to manufacture the papers, as he felt they were the only company capable of correctly reproducing his palette.
This is the 1959 Salubra sample book for Le Corbusier’s second collection of wallpaper, which contains three different patterns and 20 solid colors. One of these patterns, Mauer, is currently in the museum’s collection. His 1931 collection contained 43 solid colors, mostly in pastel shades, along with some dot and rhombic patterns. The colors in the 1959 collection are stronger and bolder. Cooper-Hewitt’s library has a three-volume set of books titled Polychromie Architectural, which goes into great detail regarding Le Corbusier’s wallpapers and his color theory.
The museum has other wallpapers designed by architects in its collection. At the time of proposed acquisition, there are two Bauhaus sample books (1929 and 1960), a Frank Lloyd Wright sample book (1956), and a wallpaper designed by Ettore Sottsass. There is also a large group of artist-designed wallpapers from the 1920s through the 1990s. These include papers designed by Edward Bawden, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, Nathalie du Pasquier, and William Wegman, among others.

Sample Book, Le Corbusier; Designed by Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret-Gris) (Swiss, active France, 1887–1965); Manufactured by Salubra; Switzerland; machine printed on machine-made paper; H x W x D (closed): 25 × 40 × 2.5 cm (9 13/16 in. × 15 3/4 in. × 1 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. Jerome Meyers and from Estate of Ladislav Sutnar Acquisition and General Acquisition Endowment Funds; 2002-21-1-1/54