Le Corbusier carried with him a small sketchbook, writing down his day-to-day thoughts and observations in minute details. His Journey to the East and A Study of the Decorative Art Movement in Germany have been reprinted and published. He also carried a camera Cupid 80 with him on his travel to the East, and many of his photos became subjects of research over the years.

He emphasized on the importance of hand sketches for their memorable qualities, but on the other hand, also understood the potential of photography. His simple photographic compositions reflect his methods in other disciplines including architecture.

One can see in his collections that his photographs are not merely records of buildings but captures the points of architecture which he thought were the essences.

Le Corbusier surrounded himself with several photographers in his lifetime, including Holst who later became a fashion photographer. Lucien Herve was deemed by Le Corbusier to have the “spirit of an architect” and captured many of his works in the post WWII era. Irving Penn, Man Ray, Rene Burri, and Robert Doisneau all took the architect's portrait, who must have been quite photogenic with his round glasses and bow tie.

Photo(Lucien Herve, Irving Penn, Yoshio Watanabe etc.) (Total 225)