The question mark in the title prompts a reflection on the role played by a key twentieth-century figure who, when viewed within the broader perspective of the Modernist querelles and criticisms of classicism, seems like a Gordian knot, an intractable and necessary mystery of twentieth-century architecture, an axiom, as clearly demonstrated by the aphorisms in his text Contribution à une théorie de l'Architecture, published in 1952, two years before his death.
This precious book puts a stamp, once and for all, on the parabola of a figure destined by birth to become an architect, he who was not an architect and was described by his father, in February 1874, on a Laeken construction site as "appareilleur en chef". He himself described himself, in one of his famous concise and pragmatic quotes, as a man of action: je fais du béton armé. Yet, his concrete-construction method placed him at the centre of an attention that continues to this day and demonstrates its modern relevance.
If modern classicism does exist perhaps it is possible to try and grasp the underlying meaning of this oxymoron, an essential piece in the jigsaw if we are to find ourselves again at a time when the rules of the discipline seem lost forever.
Perret embodies the authority of construction practice and the delicacy of the historicist vision, the rule and the model
The Perret legend was consolidated immediately after his death, in the late 1950s when reflections on the application of reinforced concrete were at the centre of attention. Not only were people speeding into the period of post-war reconstruction but questions on the virtuous use of concrete were also appearing on the horizon. The answer offered by Perret concerned both the purely technical aspect and the inner meaning of the discipline, as if a timeless concept of classical – in the sense of a style that could innovate while maintaining continuity in the production process – had been assimilated into his architecture. As many of his paradigmatic works such as the Theatre at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs, the Eglise de Notre-Dame in Le Raincy, the reconstruction of Le Havre and the Mobilier National seem keen to convey, the technique can be passed on and must form the basis from which we start to re-found the classical rules of modern architecture.
His works embody an apparent paradox that might be expressed as the combined presence of exceptional skill in the application of concrete (required on the builder’s part) and an adherence – at times rather original and at times vaguely uncritical – to the rules of classical architectural composition. One of his most faithful exegetes, Peter Collins, wrote on the subject of the Musée des Travaux Publics, which to his eyes marked the climax of Perret’s production, “everything was done to take full advantage of the aesthetic possibilities of structural forms”. This mainly meant ennobling concrete and turning it into the protagonist, not only on the outside of a building but also in other parts, such as the auditorium, that would traditionally have called for materials such as marble, wood and plaster. All this while respecting and absolving the demands of the programme.
Today, tourists absent-mindedly passing 5 Avenue Montaigne will come across one of Perret’s favourite projects, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the concrete facade of which still seems to echo the Debussy notes that inaugurated the theatre in 1913 through the bas-reliefs framing its structure. Perhaps, if they pause a moment, they will hear the contentious voices of those who, long before it opened, saw this theatre as an aberration of the classical rules of composition because of its indiscriminate use of concrete, mixed with that of Henry Van de Velde who had originally secured the commission.
This theatre speaks volumes about Perret, his actions and his contradictions, in some ways the same as those of every designer. That may be why his most famous and loyal pupil, who signed his letters to his master Ch. E. Jeanneret, wrote “The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a work. I consider it the greatest piece of architecture constructed in a long time. Auguste Perret has no diploma, so he told me. His thought is as hard and solidified in time as well-reinforced concrete. This calm and this time are what are required for concrete to set, over a period of 28 days.” Elisa Poli co-founder clustertheory.eu