Pierre Jeanneret, the Swiss-born French architect whose name is synonymous with the modernist transformation of Chandigarh, left an indelible mark through buildings and his innovative furniture designs. Born in Geneva in 1896, Jeanneret trained in fine arts and architecture before partnering with his cousin, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (better known as Le Corbusier), in Paris during the 1920s. Their collaboration, which included designer Charlotte Perriand, pioneered iconic pieces like the LC4 chaise longue, characterised by tubular steel and geometric precision.
However, it was in India, from 1951 onwards, where Pierre Jeanneret’s furniture ingenuity truly flourished. Invited to design Punjab’s new capital after India’s partition, he served as Chief Architect of Chandigarh from 1955 to 1965, overseeing the creation of a planned city that embodied democratic ideals. His furniture, designed for public buildings, offices, universities, and residences, reflected a pragmatic approach: functional, cost-effective, and attuned to the local environment.
Jeanneret’s design philosophy was rooted in modernism but adapted to India’s realities. Facing material shortages and a humid climate, he turned to indigenous resources like teak wood—known for its durability and resistance to insects—and cane weaving, a traditional Indian craft. This blend resulted in aesthetically clean but also sustainable and repairable pieces. For instance, many designs avoided metal fasteners, relying instead on mortise-and-tenon joints, allowing easy maintenance or transport disassembly.
His immersion in Chandigarh’s workshops, where he mentored local carpenters and architects like Urmila Eulie Chowdhury and Aditya Prakash, ensured that the furniture was produced en masse—over 50,000 items—while maintaining quality. This collaborative spirit, often overlooked in Western narratives, highlighted Jeanneret’s respect for Indian craftsmanship, turning what could have been imported European designs into hybrid creations that felt organic to the region.
Among his most celebrated works are the V-legged chairs, inspired by draughting tools, which introduced diagonal lines for structural stability and visual dynamism. The Office Cane Chair, with its woven seat and back, provided breathability in hot weather, while the Kangaroo Low Armchair’s sculpted form offered ergonomic comfort in a low-slung profile.
Larger pieces, like the Capitol Complex Table with its cross-braced legs, prioritised sturdiness for communal use.
These designs weren’t mere accessories but integral to Chandigarh’s architecture, echoing Le Corbusier’s vision of a harmonious urban space. Jeanneret’s archives, preserved at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, reveal sketches and notes underscoring his focus on utility over ornamentation, making his furniture a testament to inclusive design.
The global attraction to Jeanneret’s furniture began modestly but exploded in the late 1990s, transforming overlooked relics into coveted icons. Initially discarded in Chandigarh during the 1970s and 1980s as outdated, pieces were sold as scrap for pennies. Enterprising dealers, such as Eric Touchaleaume, recognised their value, exporting them (often controversially) and marketing them as mid-century masterpieces.
Today, their appeal lies in a perfect storm of factors: timeless minimalism that pairs seamlessly with contemporary interiors, sustainable materials aligning with modern eco-conscious trends, and a compelling backstory tied to India’s postcolonial rebirth.
Celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and designers like Axel Vervoordt have incorporated them into high-end spaces, further elevating demand. Auction houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Wright, and Rago have capitalised on this, with prices skyrocketing. A pair of V-Chairs fetched $21,600 in 2007, but recent sales are even more staggering: in April 2024, seven Chandigarh items sold for ₹69.18 lakh (about $83,000) at Wright in Chicago, including a set of eight office cane chairs for ₹21.02 lakh.
In December 2024, heritage items went for ₹10 lakh in Luxembourg. By 2025, auctions continued unabated—Sworders in the UK sold a Jeanneret collection for over £192,000 in July, while Cheffins previewed an ‘Easy’ armchair in January. This surge reflects broader interest in modernist heritage, but it also spawns fakes, diluting the market and challenging buyers to verify authenticity through stencilled codes or provenance documents.
Yet, this admiration is mired in controversy. Exporting originals from Chandigarh, sometimes through illegal channels before regulations tightened, has been decried as cultural theft. In the 1990s and early 2000s, dealers acquired pieces cheaply—often from government scrap sales—and resold them abroad at massive markups, portraying Indians as indifferent to their heritage.
Critics, including architects and heritage groups in India, argue this narrative ignores the collective effort of local workers and erases Chandigarh’s story, reducing it to “Jeanneret Chairs”. Campaigns like Save Chandigarh amplify these concerns, especially after thefts—eight reported since 2015—and smuggling incidents. Social media buzzes with outrage, framing sales as neocolonial exploitation. Dealers counter that auctions preserve pieces otherwise destined for destruction, but this defence rings hollow to many who see it as profiting from India’s loss.
The heritage status of these items adds another layer. Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex earned UNESCO World Heritage designation in 2016, bolstering arguments that the furniture is inseparable from the site’s cultural value.
Originals from key buildings, like the High Court or Punjab University, embody this, representing Jeanneret’s vision and India’s modernist experiment. However, not all pieces qualify: many were mass-produced for everyday use, lacking the uniqueness of artefacts. Replicas, restorations, and post-1967 productions further muddy the waters, with experts relying on catalogues like the “Catalogue Raisonné du Mobilier Jeanneret Chandigarh” for authentication—though even this faces criticism for omissions. The Pierre Jeanneret Museum in Chandigarh, housed in his restored home, showcases preserved examples, emphasising their symbolic role.
Legally stopping auctions remains elusive. India’s 2011 Ministry of Home Affairs ban classified these as “valuable heritage assets”, prohibiting exports and sales. Pre-2011 pieces circulate freely abroad, as they don’t meet antique thresholds (over 100 years old) under earlier laws. Auctions in France, the US, and the UK proceed, with houses like Phillips and Live Auctioneers listing Jeanneret works regularly. India has pursued diplomacy, sharing theft data with French police and embassies, leading to occasional withdrawals, like unsold items in France in 2021. Yet, without comprehensive inventories or binding international agreements, repatriation is rare. Declaring items as “art treasures” under the Archaeological Survey could help, but enforcement gaps persist.
Amid these challenges, Chandigarh-based advocate Ajay Jagga has emerged as a key figure in efforts to halt the auctions of smuggled Pierre Jeanneret furniture abroad. He has repeatedly contacted the Union Foreign Minister, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Indian Embassies, pressing for diplomatic interventions and in-depth investigations into illegal export and overseas sales of this heritage furniture.
Jagga advocates for raising awareness among embassies and implementing rigorous guidelines to protect these items and prevent unauthorised auctions through international channels. He has spotlighted numerous auctions in the United States, Luxembourg, and France where Chandigarh pieces were sold, even after advance alerts were provided to officials. In response to these ongoing sales, Jagga has called for more decisive actions and thorough probes, invoking the Ministry of Home Affairs’ directives that ban the movement, sale, or export of Chandigarh’s heritage furniture. Additionally, he emphasises the need for a complete inventory and improved safeguards to stop smuggling and secure the repatriation of unlawfully removed items.
In summary, Pierre Jeanneret’s Chandigarh furniture embodies a remarkable fusion of modernist innovation, local Indian craftsmanship, and postcolonial ambition, evolving from practical designs for a new city into globally coveted icons that command soaring auction prices. Yet, this legacy is shadowed by controversies over smuggling, cultural appropriation, and inadequate protections, as highlighted by ongoing thefts, legal bans, and advocacy efforts like those of Ajay Jagga.
Ultimately, the story calls for balanced stewardship—preserving these pieces as symbols of cross-cultural collaboration while ensuring ethical practices safeguard India’s heritage for future generations.
