Initiated by Pernette Perriand Barsac in partnership with cc-tapis, the Les Arcs Collection respects the ‘grand format’ and ‘petit format’ colour proportions outlined by Perriand in her technical drawings, reproducing the 6 designs in 3 sizes: the 300 × 400 cm ‘grand format’, the 230 × 300 cm ‘petit format’, and the 100 × 350 cm runner. Coloured in 12 assorted shades precisely marked out in the borders of each sketch, these documents form a blueprint for each hand- knotted rug crafted from 100% Himalayan wool by Tibetan artisans in Nepal. They are a testament to Perriand’s lifelong passion for artisanal craft — from Japanese lacquer work to line block printing — and combine multiple natural dyeing processes with hand-knotting and carding.
From the 17th to 22nd of January, the Les Arcs collection of rugs is displayed on the 1st floor of the Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire on the occasion of Paris Design Week, with an accompanying exhibition of archival objects and illustrations by Charlotte Perriand shown on the ground floor. Exploring the designer’s use of colour throughout her artistic studies and career, the exhibition includes personal effects and little-known early illustrations from the late 1920s. They demonstrate her inherent understanding of colour as a harmonious graphic device applied far beyond the primary colours so synonymous with her collaborative creations with Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Jean Prouvé.
Alongside the 6 original technical drawings, 3 watercolours from the late 1920s safeguarded by Perriand’s mother demonstrate her artistic prowess from a young age, with oniric landscapes and a playful costume study that pay homage to her Art Deco education under the tutelage of Henri Rapin and Maurice Dufrêne. Furthermore, Perriand’s tools and working samples offer a privileged glimpse at the designer’s process, including crayons and oil pastels, carpet samples for the Residence de l’Ambassadeur du Japon in Paris (1966—69), and colour studies for the Unité d’Habitation Air France in Brazzaville, Congo (1952).