The Radiant Fortnight 7

The exhibition retraces the collaboration between Le Corbusier and Joseph Savina through a corpus of working drawings, paintings, sculptures and archive documents on loan from the heirs of Joseph Savina and the Fondation Le Corbusier.

It highlights the career of Joseph Savina, a cabinetmaker by trade and then a sculptor. A dozen of his sculptures signed under his own name are on display, along with two pieces of his furniture.
Eight other sculptures, the fruit of his meeting with Le Corbusier and signed with both their names 'JS-LC', complete the picture.

"Joseph Savina (1901-1983) had learnt the carpentry trade from his father, and went on to learn woodcarving in Jean-Marie Picard's workshop in Tréguier, where he set up in 1929 under the name of "Celtic Art", expressing his interest in the Irish motifs recently introduced to Brittany. That same year, he joined Unvaniez ar Seiz Breur, a group of artists and craftsmen keen to revive the Breton decorative arts.
He was soon noticed and befriended by the poet and art critic Pierre Guéguen (1889-1965), a close friend of Le Corbusier, who brought them together in 1935 during a brief holiday the architect had taken in Trégor. The following year, during a second visit, Le Corbusier encouraged Savina to rethink his production and left him a few sketches of furniture, which he immediately put to good use. During the war, he also asked her to contribute to his supplies and, in gratitude, gave her the book devoted to his drawings and paintings, published in 1938. Savina then had the idea of making sculptures from them, which he timidly showed to Guéguen in 1944.
Impressed, the latter advised him to send photos to Le Corbusier, who was immediately won over.
From then on, a fruitful collaboration began: Le Corbusier sent drawings to Savina, who interpreted and materialised them in his studio in Tréguier. This initial work was generally refined together at the architect's home on rue Nungesser et Coli, and often polychromed. Forty-four sculptures were produced, sometimes in multiples, bearing the double signature "LC:JS" or "JS:LC".
Daniel Le Couédic