Tokyo club displays works by Swiss architect-artist Le Corbusier

February 25, 2000
Web posted at: 4:43 p.m. EST (2143 GMT)

TOKYO (CNN) -- The works of Swiss architect-artist Le Corbusier (1887-1965) are on display in the heart of Tokyo -- but not in a museum. They've found a home in the Ark Hills Club, an exclusive place on the penthouse floor of the Ark Mori Building.

Most of the pieces are from the private collection of Minoru Mori, president and CEO of one of Japan's leading development companies.

"I was actually already planning to build a gallery, because I have collected major pieces of different eras of Le Corbusier's work," Mori says. "It ... coincided with my planning to build a club, so I decided to combine -- to build a club with the gallery at the same time within the club."

Mori's love for Le Corbusier's work began when he was in college. "I was very much interested in his planning of urban cities rather than the buildings themselves -- the development of the community," he says.

	GALLERY
Click through the club's gallery

Le Corbusier was a self-taught architect who combined a bold, sculptural expressionism with the modern movement's emphasis on function. He was the first architect, for example, to make a studied use of rough-cast concrete in his buildings, blending aesthetics with function.

Le Corbusier's 1927 submission to design the League of Nations Center in Geneva also expressed his belief in form and function. It was unusual for the time because the architect proposed a structure more akin to an office building than a Neoclassical temple design common to most political organizations. His plan, which judges declined, eventually became the prototype for future United Nations buildings.

Mori later discovered that Le Corbusier had a talent with paint and plaster as well as with pen -- he was an artist, too. "It was a very refreshing surprise for me because the architectural work is in a sense more organic, very concrete," he says. "The artwork was more abstract and full of fantastic metaphor."

Mori began collecting Le Corbusier's work 20 years ago. Now, he has some 80 pieces on display in the club's gallery, including drawings, a tapestry, oil paintings, prints and sculptures.

Mori commissioned British contemporary designer Sir Terence Conran to do the club's interior. "I knew that Sir Terence has been designing, for example, furniture. It is very modern, not very traditional," Mori says. "I also knew that he is a great admirer of Le Corbusier as well. I was very happy that he actually agreed with my idea, sharing my collection with the rest of the members."

The design theme of the Ark Hills Club is "East meets West." That motif is carried through in the dining areas. One represents the East with Japanese cuisine, like sashimi; the other serves continental or Western-style food, including smoked salmon and prawns.

The Ark Hills is a modern place with a modern message, inspired by the spirit of Le Corbusier. "The atmosphere in general in very well-established clubs has a very old-fashioned style," Mori says. "But as you see this is very modern, so that is why a member can really feel relaxed."

Great Buildings Online: Le Corbusier

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