An affordable overview of the great French modernist's essential inventions

This volume compiles iconic furniture pieces by Charlotte Perriand (1903-99). The French designer's career began in 1927, when she was just 24, and presented her steel and aluminum bar, "Bar under the roof," at the Salon d'Automne--prompting Le Corbusier to hire her as a furniture designer. Perriand produced works with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret that remain canonical today. In 1940, she was invited to Japan to be the official advisor on industrial design for the Ministry of Trade and Industry; she recommended that the Japanese turn their efforts to creating products for export to the West. Unable to return to Paris because of naval blockades, she stayed in Vietnam for four years, where she learned about weaving, woodwork, rattan and other natural products. This experience prompted her to use materials such as bamboo and cane to create affordable mass-produced furniture--featured here along with other classic works.