LE CORBUSIER (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris,... - Lot 13 - Oger - Blanchet

LE CORBUSIER (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, dit) [La-Chaux-de-Fonds, 1887 - Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, 1965], French architect, urban planner, painter and theorist. Autograph letter signed, addressed to A. Laprade. March 30, 1940; 4 pages in-8°. "Your pupil Gaubert came to submit the text of the brochure he plans to publish on architecture. I took the trouble to read it in its entirety and told him that I accepted very well the principle of stating the difficult technical things we deal with in a juvenile, "young man" way, perhaps able to make the elders understand the adhesion and enthusiasm of youth to the construction of a new world. I made some very precise, solemn observations, even about the lightness with which (apart from his youthful presentation) he approaches the reality of the problems themselves: fundamental error of urban planning, frivolity of his systems analyses constructive practices of valuable colleagues, etc. M. Hermant de l'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, to whom Gaubert proposed his manuscript, came to me and told me of his concern at seeing such serious portions exposed so lightly to public opinion. I was able to see that Gaubert had made do with minute retouching in his manuscript, thus proving his absolute lack of scruples, his unconsciousness in fact. ...] Gaubert has given me the effect of a singular lack of modesty and scruples. His work will not be useful to the cause, but harmful, in the state of inaccuracies in which he admits to leave it. Since he refers to your great friendship, and since my advice has remained a dead letter, and since I finally judge his kindness to me to be dangerous, I thought I would ask you to advise him to think again and to measure that his responsibilities are not only towards his own person, but towards the loyal and relentless effort of all those so many who have brought the purest of themselves to architecture over the last 40 years. I am sure that you will understand me and I be