Charlotte Perriand

L’art d’habiter / The Art of Dwelling

Sun, Nov 2, 2025–Sun, Mar 15, 2026

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Haus Esters, Haus Lange

OPENING: November 2, 2025, 11.30 am

With the exhibition L'Art d'habiter. The Art of Dwelling, the Kunstmuseen Krefeld present the first major retrospective in Germany devoted to French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999). One of the most influential figures in Le Corbusier’s circle, she helped shape modern living by uniting innovative design with a vision for progressive social change

The exhibition is being developed in close collaboration with the Archives Charlotte Perriand and offers a fresh perspective on Perriand’s life’s work through the lens of spatial design. From her early iconic tubular steel furniture and experimental minimalist dwellings of the interwar period, to the modular storage systems of the postwar years and culminating in her most ambitious project – the alpine ski resort Les Arcs – L’Art d’habiter showcases Perriand’s design philosophy and her commitment to shaping living environments as a form of social engagement. Her work proves to be strikingly relevant today – not only in light of contemporary architectural and design discourse, but also in response to urgent ecological and social challenges.

As the main exhibition of the 2025 season, L’art d’habiter will be on view at the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (KWM) as well as Haus Lange and Haus Esters, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Across these three venues, a multifaceted and dynamic portrait of Charlotte Perriand’s work unfolds. At its core are her dialogue with the environment, nature, and foreign cultures; her political stance; and her thoughtful engagement with traditional craftsmanship in the context of industrial production. The exhibition also sheds light on Perriand’s use of photography and photomontage—media through which she deepened the social dimension of her artistic vision.

Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (KWM)

The exhibition features numerous rare original pieces of furniture, archival documents, photographs, and film footage on loan from renowned international institutions. Full-scale spatial reconstructions bring Perriand’s designs vividly to life while thematic sections trace the evolution of her design approach from the 1920s through the 1970s.

Haus Lange

The presentation at Haus Lange focuses on Perriand’s central philosophy of the Synthesis of the Arts. It offers an exploration of her time spent in Japan, Indochina, and Brazil, highlighting her transcultural dialogues and collaborations with leading artistic figures such as Fernand Léger and Isamu Noguchi.

Haus Esters

At Haus Esters, Charlotte Perriand’s work is placed in an international context through selected positions in modern and contemporary art. Highlights from the Kunstmuseen Krefeld’s design collection illustrate the lasting impact of her work—and its continued relevance in today’s world.

An exhibition organized by the Kunstmuseen Krefeld in cooperation with the Museum der Moderne Salzburg and the Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona.

Curated by Katia Baudin with Waleria Dorogova, and Juliane Duft (until March 2025), with special support from Pernette Perriand and Jacques Barsac.