Le Corbusier Elements of Synthesis

Stanislaus von Moos, editor Jan de Heer

Originally published in Germany in 1968, this first comprehensive and critical survey of Le Corbusier's life and work soon became the standard text on the architect and polymath. French, Spanish, English, Japanese and Korean editions followed, but the book has now been out of print for almost two decades. In the meantime, Le Corbusier's archives in Paris have become available for research, resulting in an avalanche of scholarship. Von Moos' critical take and the basic criteria by which the subject is organized and historicized remain surprisingly pertinent in the context of this recent jungle of Corbusier studies. This new, completely revised edition is based on the 1979 version published in English by the MIT Press but offers a substantially updated body of illustrations. Each of the seven chapters is supplemented by a critical survey of recent scholarship on the respective issues. An updated edition of this acclaimed book, an essential read for students of architecture and architectural history.