Claude Parent exhibition, Paris

Exterior view of G House
(Image credit: Dominique Delaunay)

Requiring no introduction, iconic French architect Claude Parent - together with theorist and urbanist Paul Virilio - famously developed the theory of 'fonction oblique’ in the 1960s, which explored the concept of a fluid form of design - with ramps, curves and geometries in mind. In an article exploring Parent's work back in 2007 (W*98), we eked out a few of his most famous designs, such as the Villa Drusch and the Sainte Bernadette du Banlay.

For those with a passion for the 1923-born Académie des Beaux-Arts member, a major retrospective of Parent's work has recently opened at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, featuring 92 projects completed between 1960 and 2009.

Designed by French starchitect Jean Nouvel, the exhibition uncovers both built and paper architecture - from numerous drawings and sketches, to architectural models and built work photography by, among others, Gilles Ehrmann and Dominique Delaunay. The show also includes a special section, which elaborates on Parent's theory of the architectural ‘oblique’, alongside collaborations with Swiss sculptor and painter Jean Tinguely and French artist Yves Klein.

Ranging from private houses - like the André Bloc House and the Michel Carrade House - through to churches, schools and commercial space designs, the show offers an in-depth introduction to the work of this great modernist.

A catalogue outlining everything you need to know about Parent and his work is on sale now at the Cité’s shop - the first monograph on the architect’s work since 1982.

Iran House, on the Paris XIV university campus

Iran House, on the Paris XIV university campus (1960-1968). 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Maquette of Iran House


(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Maquette of Iran House (1960-1968) by Heydar Ghiaï, Mohsen Foroughi, André Bloc and Claude Parent. © Gaston Bergeret / Collection DAF / Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Archives d’architecture du XXe siècle.

Andre Bloc House

Andre Bloc House in Cap d’Antibes, (1959-1962).

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Upper living room view at the Andre Bloc House in Cap d’Antibes

Upper living room view at the Andre Bloc House in Cap d’Antibes, (1959-1962). 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Bordeaux le Pecq House in Bois le Roy

Bordeaux le Pecq House in Bois le Roy (1963-1966). 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Bordeaux le Pecq House in Bois le Roy (1963-1966). © Dominique Delaunay.

Bordeaux le Pecq House in Bois le Roy (1963-1966). 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

Drusch House in Versailles: view of the cubic volume which sits above the living area

Drusch House in Versailles: view of the cubic volume which sits above the living area. 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

North side of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers, by Claude Parent with Paul Virilio, Odette Ducarre, Morice Lipsi and Michel Carrade (1963-1966). © Dominique Delaunay.


(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

North side of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers, by Claude Parent with Paul Virilio, Odette Ducarre, Morice Lipsi and Michel Carrade (1963-1966). © Dominique Delaunay.

An interior perspective of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers


(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

An interior perspective of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers, by Claude Parent with Paul Virilio, Odette Ducarre, Morice Lipsi and Michel Carrade (1963-1966). 

Primary sketch of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers

Primary sketch of the Church of Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay in Nevers (1963-1966). 

(Image credit: © François Lauginie Collection FRAC Centre, Orléans.)

Exterior view of Carrade House

Exterior view of Carrade House in Tarn (1972-1974). 

(Image credit: © Dominique Delaunay)

ADDRESS

Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Paris, France

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).