Carl Laubin

The Cite Fruges de Pessac, is a housing development located in Pessac, designed by Le Corbusier in 1925. This French housing project, similar to Britain’s Garden Cities projects, was to provide affordable housing for the workers in Henri Fruges’ sugar refinery.

'Machines for a Living III' oil on canvas, 56 x 122 cm

'Pessac Study' oil on canvas, 25.5 x 61 cm &

'Machines for a Living II' oil on canvas, 56 x 122 cm

This also served as a testing ground for the ideas that Le Corbusier had expressed in his 1922 manifesto Vers une Architecture and was his first attempt designing low-cost, mass-produced collective housing in his trademark aesthetic: purism, standardization, efficiency, and machine production. This development was planned to contain 135 housing units in four sections, but only two sections (consisting of 51 units) were realized in the end.

'Machines for a Living I' oil on canvas, 56 x 122 cm

This project started because Carl was contacted by the architect Léon Krier in November 2013, asking him if he would be interested in painting from drawings Léon had sketched of a “revisioned” Pessac. Carl Laubin then traveled to Pessac to get a feel of what Le Corbusier had done in 'real-life' and was pleasantly surprised to see how the development was slowly being restored, as when it was completed in 1925 the houses have been made to look 'more traditional'. Some of these changes were still visible but for the most part, the buildings had been returned to their original aesthetic.

'Fenetre en Longueur', 'Quinconce', and 'Gratte-Ciel Window'

oil on canvas, 41 x 30 cm

The paintings made by Carl to accompany Léon Krier's are Machines for a Living I, II and III and Pessac Study but to ease himself into the project he first painted some smaller scale paintings such as Fenetre en Longueur, Quinconce, and Gratte-Ciel Window.

Installation shot of Carl Laubin's paintings displayed on 'A Sentimental Journey'

All these works are currently available in the gallery. For any enquiries or to book an appointment to view any of these paintings email info@plusonegallery.com or call 020 7730 7656