auguste huit chefs d`œuvre

AUGUSTE
PERRET
HUIT CHEFS
D’ŒUVRE
Architectures
du béton armé
France's Economic, Social and Environmental Council, in collaboration with Fondazione Prada,
presents:
27 November 2013 – 19 February 2014
Palais d’Iéna, Paris
On view from 27 November 2013 to 19 February 2014, the exhibition « Auguste Perret, Huit
Chefs d’œuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé » ("Auguste Perret: Eight Masterpieces!/? –
Reinforced Concrete Buildings") is organised by the Economic, Social and Environmental
Council (ESEC) in collaboration with Fondazione Prada at the Palais d'Iéna – ESEC
headquarters. For this tribute to one of the most inspiring architectural careers of the 20th
century, Joseph Abram, the scientific curator - together with his team of National School of
Architecture in Nancy - is responsible for the theoretical and historical coherence of the
project. The architectural office OMA AMO, under the direction of Rem Koolhaas, the artistic
curator, is in charge of the exhibition design as well as the contemporary contributions and it
conceives the cultural events program.
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Son of a stonemason who had taken part in the Paris Commune uprising in 1871, Auguste
Perret (1874–1954) played a core part in defining a specific aesthetic for reinforced
concrete. His entire career was devoted to a rigorous practice of architecture based on
innovative strategies that combined intellect, design and construction into a powerful creative
mechanism that generated an impressive number of masterpieces. His talent received due
recognition in 2005 when part of his oeuvre was added to the World Heritage List.
While several exhibitions have been dedicated to Auguste Perret, this exhibition has the
ambitious goal to share with a wider audience the intimacy of a creative process that is
amongst the highest in the history of architecture.
It is only natural that the chosen venue is the Palais d'Iéna, one of Perret's most significant
projects. Perret invented a new classical order comparable to those of ancient times but
rooted in modern construction techniques: the reinforced concrete order, with the Palais
d'Iéna as its finest achievement.
The presentation of this major event at the Palais d'Iéna reflects the ESEC's policy of hosting
cultural and artistic projects as a stimulus for public dialogue, also promoted by many events
and debates organized within the institution. A cultural programme will run during the
exhibition dedicated to Auguste Perret: the Palais will be opening its doors to the public and
will host talks, debates, workshops, concerts and screenings in the hemicycle.
THE EXHIBITION: "EIGHT MASTERPIECES!/?"
With a solid theoretical perspective and today's production possibilities, the exhibition aims at
a thoroughgoing transformation of the way this intellectual builder is seen. The focus is on
eight major works: in Paris, immeuble de la Rue Franklin (1903), Théâtre des ChampsElysées (1913), église Notre Dame du Raincy (1923), salle Cortot (1928), Mobilier national
(1934) and Palais d’Iéna (1937); and in Le Havre, Hôtel de Ville (1950) and église Saint
Joseph (1951). With their technical inventiveness and unique relationship with their
materials, these eight buildings represent a decisive addition to 20th-century architecture.
The Palais d’Iéna itself is the first exhibit. For the exhibition, located in the pillared hypostyle
room, OMA AMO has reused designs made for earlier Prada events: since 2011 the office has
been exploring the interior of the Palais in its staging of fashion parades and cultural events.
The scenography of the exhibition is a collage of these explorations, designed as contemporary
interpretations of Perret's architecture. This temporary construction – this building within a
building – is a deeply contextual installation that highlights the enduring virtues of its
concrete setting.
Among the numerous archival items that introduce the eight masterpieces are:
- Some 100 original architectural drawings from the Perret agency
- Photographs from the Chevojon studio, that worked intimately with the Perret office over five
decades
- Analytical models
- A fascinating mixed bag of personal and biographical material: letters, albums, objects,
books, magazines, etc.
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The exhibition includes over 400 original items, some of them on public display for the first
time. Lenders include the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Le Havre municipal
archives, the Musée Maurice Denis, the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, the Corbusier
Foundation, the Musée Bourdelle, the Musée des Années 30, the Musée des arts décoratifs,
the association of Friends of Auguste Perret, the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
(CNAM) and the Musée des beaux-arts in Grenoble.
A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
As a complement to the indispensable contributions from scientific curator Joseph Abram and
the OMA AMO architecture office, under the direction of artistic curator Rem Koolhaas, the
National Schools of Architecture in Versailles and Nancy have provided input under the
supervision of their respective directors: Vincent Michel and Lorenzo Diez. A workshop was set
up early in 2013 in the School in Versailles to lead a prospective project. Sixteen students,
under the supervision of their professors Cédric Libert and Thomas Raynaud, came up with
eight projects for the exhibition, aimed at stimulating interest in the architectural,
constructive, conceptual and cultural aspects of Auguste Perret's legacy. The School of
Architecture in Nancy, with its Contemporary Architecture History Course, built a team of
young researchers and specialists in 20th-century architecture and in its transmission to the
public.
In addition artists have been called in to give a contemporary outlook on the buildings' ongoing existence and evolution: Gilbert Fastenaekens' photographs show the traces of human
activity while Louise Lemoine and Ila Bêka film the residents and the use of these places. The
result is an eloquent expression of the buildings' intangible aspects.
"Since 1959 the Economic, Social and Environmental Council has been making Auguste
Perret's Palais d'Iéna a lively, welcoming venue for the endless diversity of human activity:
discussion and debate for the honing of convictions through dialogue; art and culture as a
window onto otherness through shared feelings; and festive events. In a somewhat bewildered
society looking to the future with anxiety and seeing rapid, radical change in a world it can no
longer grasp nor control, art remains a vital challenge, a way of projecting ourselves into the
times ahead. I sincerely hope that this exhibition, in bringing together the Palais d'Iéna and
other major works by Auguste Perret, will represent a further step in ESEC's responsiveness to
cultural and artistic initiatives." - Jean-Paul Delevoye, President ESEC
Joseph Abram
Architect/historian Joseph Abram is a teacher at the National School of Architecture in Nancy
and a researcher at the History of Contemporary Architecture Workshop. He has published
many books on 20th-century architecture and curated some thirty exhibitions. He prepared Le
Havre's application for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
The OMA AMO agency
OMA is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural
analysis. The research studio AMO operates in areas beyond the traditional boundaries of
architecture, including media, politics, sociology, renewable energy, technology, fashion,
curating, publishing, and graphic design.
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HONOUR COMMITTEE
The Honour Committee of the exhibition « Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé » is composed by Jean-Paul Delevoye, President of the
Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC); Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli,
Presidents of Fondazione Prada; Édouard Philippe, Seine Maritime Deputy and Mayor of Le
Havre; Antoine Rufenacht, former Mayor of Le Havre; Vincent Berjot, General Director for
Heritage, Ministry of Culture and Communication; Guy Amsellem, President of the Cité de
l’Architecture et du Patrimoine; Raymond Soubie, Chairman of the Board of the Théâtre des
Champs-Élysées; Annie Perret; Christophe Perret and Benjamin Mouton, President of the
association of Friends of Auguste Perret.
VISIT INFORMATION
The exhibition is open daily from 27 November 2013 to 19 February 2014 (11am - 6pm)
Closure days: 14 December, 25 December and 1 January
Free admission
Address: Palais d’Iéna, ESEC headquarters | 9 place d'Iéna - 75016 Paris
Underground: Iéna stop (Line 9) and Trocadéro stop (Line 6)
Bus: Iéna stop (Lines 32, 63 and 82)
PRESS CONTACTS
ESEC
Heymann, Renoult Associées
Agnès Renoult & Adeline Suzanne
+33 (0)1 44 61 76 76
[email protected]
Fondazione Prada
Andrea Goffo
+39 02 54 67 09 81 / +39 33 46 94 46 71
[email protected]
OMA AMO
Jeremy Higginbotham
+31 10 24 38 200
[email protected]
Further information: www.expositionperret.fr | #expoperret to follow the exhibiton on
With the support of:
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« AUGUSTE PERRET : HUIT CHEFS D’OEUVRE !/? »: AN INTRODUCTION
“Masterpiece!/? A discredited notion? Far from it. Drawing on emotion and reason, the
hallowing of works of art is generating as much knowledge, savoir faire and skill as ever. The
supreme link between artist and public, the masterpiece remains, as ever, the driving force for
art in all its diversity.”
Roland Huesca, Dance historian
Auguste Perret (1874-1954), one of the most important architects of the 20th century,
played a major role in defining an aesthetic of reinforced concrete. The son of a stonecutter in
the Paris Commune, with his two brothers, Gustave and Claude, he created an innovate
enterprise combining an architectural office and a construction business. Perret was a
passionate reader of Viollet-le-Duc and a brilliant pupil of Julien Guadet at the Paris École des
beaux-arts. With the apartment building on the rue Franklin in 1903 and the 1913 Théâtre
des Champs-Élysées, he began to affirm his role as an exceptional builder - a pioneer of
reinforced concrete - and a genuine architectural theoretician. In 1923, following in the vein
of his industrial warehouses, he created the église of Notre Dame du Raincy, a model of
economy of materials.
His projects in the 1930s respond to a unique cultural challenge: the creation of a new
classical order comparable to the orders of antiquity but derived from modern construction
techniques. His order of reinforced concrete, first developed in 1937 for the Palais d’Iéna,
found a vast field of application after World War II in the reconstruction of the city of Le
Havre. The city’s inscription on the World Heritage List in 2005 brought public attention to
Auguste Perret's work. But his creative path remains largely unknown.
The exhibition « Auguste Perret : Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? » (“Auguste Perret: Eight
Masterpieces!/?”) is designed to counteract that deficit by offering a privileged access to the
major works of this intellectual builder, a friend of artists Antoine Bourdelle and Maurice
Denis and of the poet Paul Valéry. Its ambition is to share with a broader public the intimacy
of a creative approach that counts among the most complex and rigorous ever generated by
the field of architecture. Out of a cultural commitment to the Palais d'Iéna, headquarters of
the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC), Fondazione Prada has, since
2011, launched and organized projects in which architecture, fashion and art have a central
role. Out of a cultural commitment to the Palais d'Iéna, headquarters of the French Economic,
Social and Environmental Council (ESEC), Fondazione Prada has, since 2011, launched and
organized projects in which architecture, fashion and art have a central role. The desire to
understand this concrete palace is the inspiration for an exhibition in this former Museum of
Public Works that its architect considered to be “a shed fit for any purpose.”
Via a selection of original documents and thanks to contemporary contributions, this
exhibition is an invite to explore the wealth of the significance of reinforced concrete
architecture and more generally seeks to question its modern heritage in all its complexities.
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« AUGUSTE PERRET : HUIT CHEFS D’ŒUVRE !/? » : SYNOPSIS
The exhibition « Auguste Perret : Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé »
presents eight buildings from among Auguste Perret's many projects: buildings whose
universality has earned them a place in the history of 20th-century architecture.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
immeuble de la Rue Franklin (1903)
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1913)
église Notre Dame du Raincy (1923)
salle Cortot (1928)
Mobilier national (1934)
Palais d’Iéna (1937)
Hôtel de Ville of Le Havre (1950)
église Saint Joseph (1951)
The exhibition is made up of sections that bring together different modes of existence of the
architectural object. In two main parts, it is organised lengthwise in the hypostyle room.
On one side a metal enclosure referencing modern museum spaces is home to a range of
documentary material:
- A selection of original drawings, mainly from the 20th-century Architecture Archives’
Perret collection at the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris, provides the
projects' design background
- A collection of photographs produced by the Studio Chevojon, whose intimate working
relationship with the Perret agency lasted fifty years, expresses the materiality of the
construction/building
- A group of structural models from the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, the Musée
des arts et métiers and the Le Havre municipal archives, display the buildings' structural
geometry.
On the other side a stepped wooden structure offers present-day responses to the Perret
oeuvre:
- Photographic albums by Gilbert Fastenaekens describe Perret's architecture and its
current uses
- A film by Louise Lemoine and Ila Bêka shows users using the buildings
- Objects and materials having a special connection with the buildings in the exhibition
conjure up their everyday character and their duration
- Projects carried out with architecture students explore the potential of Perret's
architecture today
Down the middle of the room a line of tables presents the biographical background to the
buildings concerned:
- A mixed bag of letters, photos, albums, personal possessions, books, magazines and
stereoscopic images immerses the visitor in the intimacy of Perret's life.
- These different strata of the architectural reality are complemented by furniture designed
by Perret and various works by his artist friends.
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AUGUSTE PERRET: A CRONOLOGY
1874-1880: Birth of Auguste Perret, February 12, 1874 in Ixelles (Brussels). His father
Claude-Marie Perret, an activist during the Paris Commune, had taken refuge in Belgium with
his family to escape repression. Birth of Gustave, March 14, 1876 and Claude, July 16,
1880.
1882-1893: After the Amnesty of 1880, Claude-Marie returns to Paris where he creates a
general contracting business. Auguste and Gustave study at the École Alsacienne, then the
École des beaux-arts, in the Guadet studio.
1896-1902: The family business constructs several buildings in Paris (rue du Faubourg
Poissonnière, avenue de Wagram...). Auguste marries Jeanne Cordeau, student at the École
des arts décoratifs in Paris.
1903-1905: Construction of the apartment building on the rue Franklin. The Perret enterprise
moves into the ground floor. Claude-Marie dies in 1905. His three sons create the firm Frères
Perret and devote themselves to the study of reinforced concrete.
1906-1912: Construction of the garage on the rue Ponthieu, of the cathedral at Oran (for the
architect Albert Ballu). Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier) interns for fourteen months
in the office on rue Franklin. Auguste travels to Algeria, Morocco, and Turkey.
1911-1913: Construction of the Théatre des Champs Élysées, of studios for Maurice Denis
and Théo van Rysselberghe. Member of the Cercle des Artistes de Passy, where he meets
Apollinaire, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Francis Picabia...
1914-1918: Called for service in August 1914, Auguste is assigned to the 39th Infantry
Regiment in Blois. He works in Luçon, where he designs dirigible hangars. The Perret firm
builds docks in Casablanca. Vice-President of the association Art et Liberté, Auguste works
alongside Amédée Ozenfant, Albert Gleize, Gino Severini...
1919-1923: Industrial hangars (Wallut, Esders, Voirin-Marinoni studios...). Construction of
the église Notre Dame du Raincy. Travels through Italy in 1922 with Antoine Bourdelle:
Genoa, Turin, Cuneo, Florence, Bologna, Rome, Naples, Pompei and Paestum. Develops the
“Villes-Tours” (City-Towers) concept.
1924-1926: Founding member of the Salon des Tuileries. Construction of the Palais de Bois.
Auguste begins his first teaching studio. Theater for the 1925 Exhibition. Observation tower
in Grenoble. Maison Cassandre, the Chana Orloff studio. Competition entry for the basilica
Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc in Paris. Paul Valéry backs the project.
1927-1929: Paul Jamot publishes the first monograph devoted to the Perret brothers. Artist
studios (Georges Braque, Mela Muter, Dora Gordin, Marguerite Huré). Auguste travels to Egypt
where he builds the Aghion house. Competition for the League of Nations in Geneva.
Construction works begin for the salle Cortot, the building on the rue Raynouard. The teaching
studio at the Palais de Bois closes.
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1930-1932: Auguste directs a studio at the École spéciale d'architecture. Competition for the
porte Maillot in Paris, the Palace of the Soviets in Moscow. Lecture in Amsterdam.
L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui publishes a special edition Perret in 1932. The office moves into
the rue Raynouard.
1933-1935: President of the Réunions internationales d'architecture, Auguste participates in
the Milan conference, then meetings in Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Stuttgart. His plan for
the Chaillot hill is abandoned (1934). Picasso, Matisse and Dufy sign a petition protesting.
Meeting with Louis Aragon.
1936-1939: President of the Union pour l'Art, created in the wake of the Front Populaire. Le
Corbusier and Maillol are vice-presidents. Lectures in Buenos Aires. Meeting with Frank Lloyd
Wright in Paris (1937). Construction of the Museum of Public Works (Musée des Travaux
publics).
1940-1944: Creation of the journal Techniques et Architecture. Member of the High Council
of the Ordre des Architectes (with Tony Garnier, Henri Prost, Paul Tournon...) and of the
National Committee for Reconstruction (Comité national de la Reconstruction). Elected to the
Institut de France in 1943. Projects for the train station square in Amiens, for the airport at
Marignane. Creation of the third Perret teaching studio.
1945-1951: President of the Ordre des Architectes. Tasked by Raoul Dautry to rebuild the
center city of Le Havre. Construction of the Center for Atomic Studies (Centre d’études
atomiques) in Saclay. Gold medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Gold medal
from the American Institute of Architects. Perret exhibition in New York.
1952-1954: Publication of Contribution à une théorie de l'architecture. Gustave dies May 30,
1952. Auguste dies February 25, 1954. His body lies in honor at the Palais d’Iéna.
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« AUGUSTE PERRET : HUIT CHEFS-D’OEUVRE » : THE ACADEMIC TEAM
Joseph Abram
Joseph Abram is a teacher at the National School of Architecture in Nancy and a researcher at
the Contemporary Architecture History Workshop. He has taught at the Institute for
Architecture in Geneva and for ten years was on the editorial board of Faces magazine. He has
written widely for international magazines and curated some thirty exhibitions, including “Les
premiers élèves de Perret” (Paris, 1984), “Oscar Nitzchké” (with Gus Dudley, New York,
1985), “Paul Nelson” (with T. Riley, New York, 1990), “Hugo Herdeg” (New York, 1993),
“Claude Prouvé” (Briey, 1997) and “Perret, la poétique du béton” (with J.-L. Cohen and B.
Reichlin, Le Havre/Turin/Paris, 2002–2004). Among his books are L’Architecture Moderne en
France (vol. 2, Picard, 1999), Le Corbusier à Briey (JMP, 2006), Perret (Editions du
Patrimoine, 2010) and Diener & Diener (Phaidon, 2011). He prepared Le Havre's application
for World Heritage listing, which was accepted in 2005, and is currently working on Metz's
UNESCO application.
Ana Bela de Araujo
Architect and historian Ana Bela de Araujo teaches at the National School of Architecture in
Marseille. She has also taught at the Nantes, Paris-Malaquais and Marne-la-Vallée schools of
architecture. She is a member of the LACTH workshop at the National School of Architecture
in Lille and has carried out research into the history of 20th-century architecture. In 2013
she successfully defended her art history Ph.D thesis on Le Centre d’études nucléaires à
Saclay. L’architecture-système d’Auguste Perret à l’épreuve de la science, at the Université de
Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne. She has published in various art and architecture magazines and
exhibition catalogues, and is the author of Marie Dormoy/Auguste Perret. Correspondance.
1922–1953 (Editions du Linteau, 2009). She was curatorial attaché for the opening of the
Modern and Contemporary Architecture Gallery at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
in Paris (2005–2007), and in charge of the scientific and cultural development of Le Havre's
UNESCO label (2007–2008).
Kenneth Rabin
Artist/designer Kenneth Rabin is a graduate of the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.
After ten years spent between France and the United States, he settled in Le Corbusier's unité
d'habitation in Briey-en-Forêt, in Lorraine. An active member of the association “La Première
Rue”, he founded and directed its art, architecture and design study centre. In 2000 he
started Kenneth Rabin Design, specialising in visual identities, exhibitions and publishing. He
has contributed to numerous architectural and cultural enhancement projects including Le
Corbusier in Briey, Auguste Perret in Le Havre, Vauban's fortifications, housing estates and
the legacy of luxury industries (with Studio Harcourt Paris). As an artist he has had group and
solo exhibitions in France and the United States. He teaches at the School of Design in
Valenciennes and as part of Columbia University's “Paris/New York” programme.
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OMA AMO
OMA is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism, and cultural
analysis. OMA’s buildings and masterplans around the world insist on intelligent forms while
inventing new possibilities for content and everyday use. OMA AMO is led by six partners –
Rem Koolhaas, Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, and David
Gianotten – and sustains an international practice with offices in Rotterdam, New York,
Beijing, Hong Kong, and Doha.
The counterpart to OMA’s architectural practice is AMO, a research studio based in
Rotterdam. While OMA remains dedicated to the realization of buildings and masterplans,
AMO operates in areas beyond the traditional boundaries of architecture, including media,
politics, sociology, renewable energy, technology, fashion, curating, publishing, and graphic
design.
Rem Koolhaas, Founding partner, OMA
Rem Koolhaas (Rotterdam, 1944) founded OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in
1975 together with Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and Madelon Vriesendorp.
After studying at the Architectural Association in London, and at Cornell and the Institute for
Architecture and Urban Studies in the US, Koolhaas wrote Delirious New York (1978). In
1995, S,M,L,XL summarized the work of OMA in a 1,200-page book that redefined
architectural publishing.
In 2011, Project Japan: Metabolism Talks, an oral history by Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich
Obrist, documented the first non-Western avant-garde movement in architecture and the last
moment that architecture was a public rather than a private affair.
In 2014, Koolhaas will direct the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice
Biennale, under the title “Fundamentals”. He received the Golden Lion for Lifetime
Achievement at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2010 and the Pritzker Prize in 2000.
AMO team for the exhibition « Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? »: Rem Koolhaas,
Ippolito Pestellini, Alice Grégoire, Paul Cournet, Lucia Venturini, Kenny Kim.
www.oma.eu/oma
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FRANCE'S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
Celebrating Auguste Perret at the Palais d'Iéna for a few weeks is not only about paying
tribute to the brilliant designer of the place where the Economic, Social and Environmental
Council (ESEC) has been standing since 1959. Neither is it only about fostering a post
mortem glorification to the highness of his talent, acknowledged by all. I hope this exhibition
will exceed the two above mentioned, yet already very ambitious, objectives. The exhibition
must make us wonder what constitutes modernity and what turns innovation into progress.
The history of the Perret family is unique. It is difficult to imagine that the Perret brothers’
life journey has no influence on their singular career development. First, their education was
based on work: early learning of construction techniques, an intellectualism education
acquired at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In addition, the economic and historical
context clearly separated architecture from technical construction. Finally, a new material,
concrete, fostered a new vision. Or the other way around. Or the two were intertwined. This
vision, based on strong beliefs, feeds the work of Auguste Perret and is opposed to that of
other artists and architects of his generation. A vision both amended and consolidated over
the years.
Innovation can only be understood by challenging the present, the established order as well as
a system based on certainties and a form of comfort. It is only when propped on a credit and
personal skills, on openness to others and the world, on a passion for collective adventure and
on a strong belief that the future is to be built and thought, that this dispute may open the
way to evolution as well as an acceptable and desirable future for all.
Our society is disoriented, divided between the fear of losing an old world and the uncertainty
of a future in which everyone struggles to look to. People now need to regain confidence in
their own abilities and faith in the future. Throughout its history, France has often found its
strength in its creativity. But today, because of its unchanging standards and lack of
questioning, the system kills initiatives instead of fostering it. This exhibition is intended to
remind that innovation is challenging but also inspiring. It is therefore at its rightful place at
the Palais d'Iéna, echoing the many debates occurring here, that daily seek to confront visions
and interests as well as contribute to collectively imagining France’s future.
Jean- Paul Delevoye
President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council
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ESEC, 3rd Assembly of the French Republic
The Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) is the third assembly of the French
Republic with the National Assembly and the Senate. The ESEC comprises 233 members and
72 qualified members. It is divided into three major clusters representing the actors of
economic matters and social dialogue; the actors of social and territorial cohesion and
community life (disability, sports, sciences and culture are represented as qualified
personalities). In the spirit of the Grenelle Environment Forum, the last group is made of
representatives chosen for their experience in environmental protection and sustainable
development.
The Council encourages dialogue between social and occupational categories, contributes to
the assessment of public policies within its fields of expertise, promotes a constructive
dialogue with its counterparts at a local, regional as well as international level and contributes
to informing citizens. The ESEC plays a vital role in the period of economic, social and
environmental change that we are living: it is both a whistleblower at the institutional level
and an interface between civil society and politicians. To meet its objectives, the Council may
be appealed to by either the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the National Assembly or the
Senate President, through petition or by self-referral.
www.lecese.fr
EESC’s commitment to culture
Cultural issues are an essential part of the ESEC’s focus. They are treated by the education,
culture and communication section. The notice “A new dynamic for national monuments
conservation policies” (Jean-Jacques Aillagon, 2008) analyzed the means implemented to
ensure that local heritage culture will be maintained as a reference shared by all French, and
the means to increase monuments protection effectiveness. It also investigated about the
possible sources for a larger and more stable funding. The notice “For a development policy of
performing arts: promote and artistic and cultural education throughout life” (Claire Gibault,
September 24, 2013) made four key recommendations to ensure access to cultural and
artistic practices: to develop artistic and cultural education through artistic practice
throughout life for all and everywhere, to develop complementarity between actors, to boost
public education as a tool for land and societies transformation, and to educate stakeholders:
teachers, artists, amateurs. The launch by the Minister of Culture and Communication of the
“great project for arts and cultural education” springs from the same awareness of the
importance of an artistic and cultural education, not only for youth but for all citizens
throughout their lives.
Besides, the EESC has already welcomed in the past few years contemporary art exhibits and
rich cultural events. The exhibition “Empreintes Urbaines” organized in June 2011 with Sos
Racism gathered 84 international artists from Street Art. During three days, at the crossroads
of generations and the most innovative disciplines, holding this exhibition at the ESEC
created a bond beyond social affiliations, a bridge of “Vivre Ensemble”. In September 2011,
during the contemporary art week in Paris, the Council received the exhibition “Pearls of the
North” dedicated to the Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg scene and curated by Caroline
Smulders and Jerome Lefevre. In April-May 2012 for the exhibition “Ça & là (This & There)”,
the artist Davide Bertocchi installed the “Apologie de l’aléatoire (Pendolo)” piece in the
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monumental staircase of the EESC, representing a still pendulum, within the “Laboratoire de
création du Palais de Tokyo”. On October 6, 2012, during the Nuit Blanche, the ESEC
welcomed a Franck Gerard installation, “En l’état, user les images” and an in situ unseen
work of Antony Gormley in preview of the exhibition “Unlimited bodies”. Organized in October
2012 again with Caroline Smulders and Jérôme Lefèvre as curators, the latter had an
exclusive selection of 30 international artists exploring contemporary sculpture and revealing
an art deeply rooted in the present, through human size body sculptures. Finally, in 2012,
Fondazione Prada opened at the Palais d’Iéna an ephemeral and imaginary museum under the
title of “24h Museum”, a project by Francesco Vezzoli whose design was also conceived by
OMA AMO.
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FONDAZIONE PRADA
Fondazione Prada, co-chaired by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli since 1995, is an
institution dedicated to contemporary art and culture. Its cutting-edge exhibitions conceived
in dialogue with major contemporary artists like Louise Bourgeois, Walter De Maria, Thomas
Demand and John Baldessari, as well as other cultural activities related to cinema,
philosophy, and architecture, have enjoyed a wide international consensus. Special
international projects included Carsten Höller’s “Double Club” in London, the “Prada
Transformer” in Seoul by OMA and Francesco Vezzoli’s “24h Museum” at the Palais d’Iéna in
Paris. In 2011 the Fondazione Prada opened a new exhibition space in Venice, Ca’ Corner
della Regina, an historic palazzo on the Grand Canal, which is going to be restored over the
next years with the goal of offering a stimulating cultural program. A keynote of the
architectural program is the Fondazione Prada’s new exhibition space in Milan designed by
Rem Koolhaas, to be unveiled in 2015.
Projects and events realized by Fondazione Prada:
24 solo art exhibitions realized in Milan from 1993 to 2011, based on projects especially
conceived for the Fondazione exhibition space by international artists: Eliseo Mattiacci, Nino
Franchina, David Smith, Anish Kapoor, Michael Heizer, Louise Bourgeois, Dan Flavin, Laurie
Anderson, Sam Taylor-Wood, Mariko Mori, Walter De Maria, Marc Quinn, Carsten Höller,
Enrico Castellani, Barry McGee, Tom Friedman, Andreas Slominski, Giulio Paolini, Francesco
Vezzoli, Steve McQueen, Tom Sachs, Tobias Rehberger, Nathalie Djurberg, John Baldessari.
3 collective art exhibitions in Venice at Ca’ Corner della Regina: “Fondazione Prada_Ca’
Corner”, 2011, “The Small Utopia. Ars Multiplicata”, 2012, “When Attitudes Become Form:
Bern 1969/Venice 2013”, 2013.
2 design and architectural projects in Milan: AMO/OMA Rem Koolhaas and Herzog
&DeMeuron; Rotor.
4 touring exhibitions abroad: “Mariko Mori Dream Temple”, Rooseum, Malmö, 2000;
“Mariko Mori Pure Land”, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, 2002; “Enrico
Castellani”, Kettle’ s Yard, Cambridge, 2002; “Foujita. A Japanese Artist at the Teatro alla
Scala”, Prada Aoyama Epicenter, Tokyo, 2003.
2 projects realised for the city of Milan: Dan Flavin’s permanent installation for Santa Maria
Annunciata in Chiesa Rossa, 1997; Laurie Anderson “Dal Vivo/Life” an exhibition based on a
performance in conjunction with the the Casa Circondariale-Milano, San Vittore prison, 1998.
1 international multidisciplinary conference “La Sfida” (“The Challenge”) in collaboration
with the Casa Circondariale-Milano San Vittore prison, Milan, 2002.
4 philosophy conferences: “Philosophy facing History: thinking over Septempber 11” (2005);
“Art and Terror” (2005); “Philosophical Dialogue on 20th-Century Thought in Europe and
Japan” (2006) in collaboration with University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan; “Art and
Icon” (2006).
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4 film festivals: “Tribeca Film Festival at Fondazione Prada”, Milan, 2004; “Italian Kings of
the Bs/Secret History of Italian Cinema 1949 – 1976”, Milan, 2004; “Secret History of Asian
Cinema”, Milan, 2005; “Secret History of Russian Cinema”, Milan, 2007.
12 external activities: “Mark di Suvero a Venezia”, Venice, 1995; “Angelo Savelli”, Centro per
l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, 1995; “The Secret History of Italian Cinema”, 61st
Venice Film Festival, Venice, 2004; “Italian Kings of the Bs”, Tokyo Filmex, Tokyo, 2004;
“Francesco Vezzoli. Trilogia della Morte (Trilogy of Death)”, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice,
2005; “The Secret History of Asian Cinema” 62nd Venice International Film Festival,
Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 2005; “Italian Kings of the B’s: Secret history of Italian
Cinema 1949-81 at Tate Modern”, Tate Modern, London, 2006, “The Secret History of
Russian Cinema” 63rd Venice International Film Festival, Venice, 2006, Thomas Demand
“Processo Grottesco” and “Yellowcake”, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, 2007; Carsten
Höller “ The Double Club”, London, 2008-2009; “John Wesley”, Fondazione Giorgio Cini,
Venice, 2009; Nathalie Djurberg “Turn into Me”, Prada Trasformer, Seoul, 2009.
34 art publications amongst which three specific books on architecture (OMA/AMO Rem
Koolhaas, Herzog & de Meuron, Rotor) and the report of the conference “La Sfida” (“The
Challenge”).
Fondazione Prada Chair for Aesthetic, held by Professor Massimo Cacciari, at the University of
Vita-Salute San Raffaele (financial support from 2003 to 2006).
www.fondazioneprada.org
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AG2R LA MONDIALE AND CULTURAL SUPPORT
AG2R LA MONDIALE, the French leader in social protection, believes in the role of culture as
a force for sustainable transformation of a community’s economic, social and urban
development. Empowered by local values and solidarity, AG2R LA MONDIALE has a policy of
cultural support that focuses on events taking place in the regions in which it operates. It
seeks to highlight the attractiveness of these areas. Additionally, the cultural sponsorship is a
great means of communication for the Group. It significantly contributes to its reputation and
its brand image.
In this context, AG2R LA MONDIALE is very pleased to partner with the Economic Social and
Environmental Council (ESEC), providing support for the exhibition: « Auguste Perret, Huit
Chefs d’œuvre !/? – Architectures du béton armé », held at the Palais d'Iena.
Other examples of support to museums and cultural events:
The Louvre-Lens: The privileged location of the Louvre in Lens facilitates the conversion of
the former highly productive mining area. Supporting the Louvre-Lens, AG2R LA MONDIALE
is proud to officially participate in the ongoing attractiveness of the area.
Lille 3000: already an existing partner of “Lille 2004” and “Bombaysers de Lille” in 2006,
AG2R LA MONDIALE is an official partner of “Lille 3000” for 2012-2015. “Lille 3000” is
characterized by events of great artistic and cultural quality brought to the wider public. This
ability to unite different people of all ages and from all walks of life, form immediate
resonance with the values of closeness and solidarity that drive AG2R LA MONDIALE.
Marseille-Provence 2013, European Capital of Culture: empowered by its strong local
presence in the South of France, AG2R LA MONDIALE was impressed by the program of the
European Capital of Culture combining artistic excellence and openness to the public. AG2R
LA MONDIALE is taking full part in Marseille-Provence 2013 through sponsoring the
exhibition "Le Corbusier and the Question of Brutalism."
The previews: AG2R LA MONDIALE supports contemporary artists through openings at its
Headquarters in Paris on Boulevard Haussmann: Juliet Mills (painter), Maxime Dufour
(photographer), Princess of Bourbon Parma (sculptor).
The publication of works of art: it supports exhibitions through the publication of catalogues
and books exhibitions: “In the Kingdom of Alexander the Great”; Louvre Museum (2011),
“Holy Russia”, the Louvre (2010); “Teotihuacan”, Quai Branly (2010).
Press contact : Rym Saker / Ph. +33 (0)1 76 60 90 44 / [email protected]
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GECINA, A LEADING REAL ESTATE GROUP
Gecina owns, manages and develops property holdings worth 10.7 billion euros at June 30,
2013, with 90% located in the Paris Region. This real estate company's business is built
around an Economic division, including France's largest office portfolio, and a Demographic
division, with residential assets, student residences and healthcare facilities. Gecina has put
sustainable innovation at the heart of its strategy to create value, anticipate its customers'
expectations and invest while respecting the environment, thanks to the dedication and
expertise of its staff.
Gecina is a French real estate investment trust (SIIC) listed on Euronext Paris, and is part of
the FTSE4Good, DJSI Europe and World, Stoxx Global ESG Leaders and ASPI Eurozone®
indices. In line with its commitments to the community, Gecina has created a company
foundation, which is focused on protecting the environment and supporting all forms of
disability.
www.gecina.fr
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ABOUT SNBPE
The French ready-mix concrete producers’ organization (SNBPE) promotes the use of concrete
in building and civil engineering and protects the interest of its 200 members since 1964.
SNBPE members produce 80% of the French total ready-mix concrete production with nearly
1800 plants.
Concrete is a composite construction material made with natural aggregates (sand, gravel)
bound with a binder (usually cement). With very short distances of transport, extremely low
emissions of VOC (Volatile Organic Compound), concrete is naturally part of sustainable
building background.
Present in every modern construction work, concrete is the more used industrial product in
the world. Concrete is produced locally, everywhere in the country, with natural and reusable
primary material. It had very good resistance and durability, even in extreme conditions. It
also gives designers a great freedom of forms and aspects.
Ready-mix concrete

-
Essential performer for construction sector
540 companies
3 683 M € turnover
8 374 workers

-
Responsible and modern performer
Environmental integration of production units
Part of local economy as a vicinity service
Quick and easy to use

Multiple use and construction performer
Individual or collective housing, urban developments, industrial and commercial
buildings, civil engineering, landscaping, farming equipment,…
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ORANGE AND THE CULTURE
For many years, Orange has implemented projects that bring together culture and
technological innovation. We put our know-how to work to benefit culture, co-developing new
uses for innovative mediation tools with institutions.
Already partner of the most important institutions like Château de Versailles, RMN-GrandPalais, Louvre-Lens, Palais de Tokyo , BNF or musée du Quai Branly, Orange is really proud
today to open this new partnership with ESEC and Fondazione Prada on the occasion of the
exhibition dedicated to August Perret, bringing its expertise and enabling the public to live an
enhanced and unique experience.
www.orange.com/fr/engagements/partenariats/culture
About Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 43.5 billion
euros in 2012 and had 168,000 employees worldwide at 30 June 2013, including 103,000
employees in France. Present in 32 countries, the Group had a total customer base of more
than 231 million customers at 30 June 2013, including 174 million mobile customers and
15 million fixed broadband customers worldwide. Orange is also a leading provider of global
IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange
Business Services.
Orange is listed on the NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock
Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orangebusiness.com, www.orange-innovation.tv or follow us on Twitter: @presseorange.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are
trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
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L'ARCHITECTURE D'AUJOURD'HUI (‘A’A’)
Founded in 1930 by the architect, sculptor and publisher André Bloc, working with Le
Corbusier, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui ('A'A') has shaped the history of architectural thought
in France and throughout the world.
Supported by a renowned editorial board, its ambition is to “shed a new light on architecture”
by crossing viewpoints and looking towards other disciplines: the arts and photography, but
also design, urban planning and landscape design through portraits of key figures or the
discovery of emerging talents.
An international publication, completely bilingual in French and English, ‘A’A’ is both an
essential resource for architects and an inspiration source for architecture lovers.
Find out more about ‘A’A’ on www.aa-mag.com
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France's Economic, Social and Environmental Council, in collaboration with Fondazione Prada,
presents:
27 November 2013 – 19 February 2014
Palais d’Iéna, Paris
PRESS IMAGES
Auguste Perret, 1925
Photography
© CNAM/SIAF/CAPA, Archives d’architecture
du XXe siècle/Auguste Perret/UFSE/SAIF
Le Havre, aerial view towards the église Saint
Joseph
© CNAM/SIAF/CAPA, Archives d’architecture
du XXe siècle/Auguste Perret/UFSE/SAIF
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Palais d’Iéna, Paris
Former Museum of Public Works
Hypostyle Room
1939
© Roger-Viollet
Photo: Harlingue Viollet
« Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé »
Palais d’Iéna (the staircase), Paris
Rendering
© OMA, all rights reserved
« Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé »
Palais d’Iéna (Hypostyle room, the Archives
Wall), Paris
Model
© OMA, all rights reserved
« Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé »
Palais d’Iéna (Hypostyle room), Paris
Model
© OMA, all rights reserved
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« Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé »
Palais d’Iéna (Hypostyle room, Stand), Paris
Model
© OMA, all rights reserved
Projects by OMA AMO for Prada
Palais d’Iéna (Hypostyle room)
© OMA, all rights reserved
Palais d’Iéna, Paris
ESEC headquarters
External view
© Benoît Fougeirol
Palais d’Iéna, Paris
ESEC headquarters
Hypostyle room
© Benoît Fougeirol
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Signature image of the exhibition
« Auguste Perret, Huit Chefs d’œuvre !/? –
Architectures du béton armé »
Palais d’Iéna, Paris
27 November 2013 - 19 February 2014
© OMA, all rights reserved
For high-resolution images, please contact:
ESEC
Heymann, Renoult Associées
Agnès Renoult & Adeline Suzanne
+33 (0)1 44 61 76 76
[email protected]
Fondazione Prada
Andrea Goffo
+39 02 54 67 09 81 / +39 33 46 94 46 71
[email protected]
OMA AMO
Jeremy Higginbotham
+31 10 24 38 200
[email protected]
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