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Claude Parent Architect

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Official account for news regarding French architect Claude Parent. Managed by the Claude Parent Archives and family.

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Claude Parent’s Home – Part 3: The Oblique
1974: Claude Parent decides to remodel his home according to the Oblique Function theory, created with Paul Virilio since 1963, but which Parent continued to develop independently after 1968. He had previously applied the oblique to the French Pavilion of the 1970 Venice Biennale, to painter Andrée Bellaguet’s apartment (1970), and to several « praticables obliques » installations (1969-1974). After his sister moves out, her former studio becomes the master bedroom. Claude Parent also buys two of the three remaining garages, which he converts into bedrooms for his daughters (after installing a spiral staircase in the former kid’s room). All the furniture is removed to create two oblique rooms, with ramps of varying degrees/incline. He designs a modular two-level table (with four seating levels, accommodating four to six people), and oblique bookshelves. He adds mobile elements that could serve as either backrests or small tray tables, depending on how they are used on the slopes. The floor is uniformly covered in black carpet, with some areas of invisible foam padding for seating. The kitchen and bathroom are modernized, and the mosaic-tiled basin is preserved. Artwork by Michel Carrade, Emile Gillioli, Gérard Mannoni, André Bloc, and Andrée Bellaguet. Most photos by Gilles Ehrmann. All images coming from Claude Parent Archives #architecture #architect #radical #architecturaldesign #1974 by @claudeparent_architect

« The 1971 Beaubourg Competition: A Transformation of Architecture, » exhibition, co-produced by the French Academy of Architecture and the Centre Pompidou, with the support of the National School of Architecture of Saint-Étienne (ENSASE), revisits the international competition for the Pompidou Center. The winning project, built by Piano, Franchini, and Rogers, is, of course, well-known. However, the competition received over 600 entries from around the world. The Academy of Architecture presents the most remarkable projects by French architects, a fascinating exhibition given the diversity of the expressions and solutions proposed, ranging from technological to poetic. Claude Parent’s project, which Philip Johnson, member of the jury, appreciated very much, is on display. Drawings by Claude Parent with a strong graphic style present a semi-subterranean project: « urban tumulus, » covered by a forest, the building was composed of two pyramids (one being inverted). The museum unfolds over 6 levels along the ramps of the oblique function, with light coming through openings in the upper pyramid, and with a crane used to lower the large artworks. The models created by ENSASE’s students complement the exhibition, providing a three-dimensional view of the projects. Many thanks to their professor, Boris Hamzeian (author of the book about the 1971 Beaubourg Competition, published by Éditions B2), and to Rodrigue Barrois Allais for this model of Claude Parent’s project. Exhibition until February 22, 2026.
Photos: Rodrigue is presenting his model to Chloé Parent and Gus Barden.#architecture #beaubourg #pompidou #museum #1971 by @claudeparent_architect

In 1959, André Bloc asked Claude Parent to design his vacation home in Cap d’Antibes (80m2 of living space) from where he could have a panoramic view of the sea. He thought of a tall house, « a bird’s nest », lifted off the ground. Parent then designed a house of steel, glass and concrete immersed in the pine trees, made of two glazed volumes separated from each other and offset, suspended from an exposed metal structure. Detached from the land, they are connected by a sculptural helicoidal exterior staircase that aeronautical sheet metal workers built. Bloc did not like Parent’s first project, a tipped-over cube (see drawing), although Bloc would later use this inverted cube for spatial urban planning projects (and of course Parent with the Drusch house and other projects). Parent then modified the project, which Bloc approved after asking for minimal simplifications (à la Mies)... It would take Claude Parent almost a year to obtain the building permit: « During the holidays, a civil servant had to sign the authorization for me on the sly because he liked modern architecture. But as soon as the framework was erected, a petition from the local residents, led by the city architect and municipal councilor, stopped the work, and suspended the permit. I won my case with the administration and built. But they never gave me the certificate of conformity... The neighbor filed a lawsuit for aesthetic and financial inconvenience; he lost on appeal. » This was Claude Parent’s first battle with the administration and neighbors, an experience that served him later on. The Villa Bloc, now Villa EX (for « Experimental »), has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1990. A beautiful book recounting the entire eventful history of this extraordinary villa was published by Éditions Imbernon in 2011. All color photos ©️ Laurent Kronental. B&W photos of the house ©️ Gilles Ehrmann. Photo of model copyright ©️ J&F Beyda. #architecture #frencharchitecture #antibes #antibesfrance #andrebloc #andrébloc #claudeparent #1959 #1950sarchitecture #glassandsteel #glassandconcrete #historicalmonument #modernarchitecture #côtedazur #frenchriviera🇫🇷 by @claudeparent_architect

by @claudeparent_architect

[In English below French]
Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay, le “caillou gris” a 60 ans !
Pour fêter cet anniversaire, suivant l’inauguration de l’église après 18 mois de restauration par la Ville de Nevers, le CAUE de la Nièvre a réalisé l’exposition “Le Caillou Gris”, présentée à la chapelle Sainte-Marie, située rue Saint-Martin à Nevers, du 29 octobre au 18 décembre 2026.
L’occasion de découvrir une œuvre architecturale majeure redevenue aussi belle qu’il y a 60 ans et de visiter l’exposition qui lui est consacrée. Entrée gratuite.
Un grand merci à Monsieur le Maire de Nevers, Denis THURIOT, et à Christophe JOLY du CAUE de la Nièvre (et auteur d’un livre sur Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay).

Nous reviendrons prochainement en détail sur la rénovation de l’église et sa réouverture au public, sur cette exposition et sur “Tobrouk”, l’œuvre d’Anne Houel exposée devant l’église.

Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay—the “grey pebble”—turns 60!
To mark this anniversary, and following the church’s reopening after an 18-month restoration project led by the City of Nevers, the CAUE of the Nièvre department has organized an exhibition titled “Le Caillou Gris” (“The Grey Pebble”). It will be on display at the Sainte-Marie Chapel—located on Rue Saint-Martin in Nevers—from October 29 to December 18, 2026.
This is a wonderful opportunity to discover a major architectural landmark, now restored to the beauty it held 60 years ago, and to visit the exhibition dedicated to it. Admission is free.
A big thank you to the Mayor of Nevers, Denis Thuriot, and to Christophe JOLY of the CAUE of the Nièvre (who also authored a book on Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay).
We will soon share more details regarding the church’s renovation and its reopening to the public, the exhibition, and “Tobrouk”—an artwork by Anne Houel currently on display in front of the church. #architecture #nevers #brutalist #frencharchitecture #architectureprincipe by @claudeparent_architect

[English below Italian]
Cari amici, ho il piacere di condividere con voi l’articolo di Giovangiusseppe Vannelli e alcune foto della mostra (organizzata dalla Società Scientifica Italiana di Progettazione Architettonica) presso la Scuola di Architettura di Firenze, nell’ambito del XIII Forum ProArch. Allego anche il link alla pubblicazione online: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ywdsNzBleOJrm00bOjklQXMnKrLGYdVL
Grazie, Giovangiusseppe @mi.agrado

Dear friends, I am pleased to share with you an article by Giovangiusseppe Vannelli, along with some photos from the exhibition (organized by the Italian Scientific Society for Architectural Design) held at the Florence School of Architecture as part of the XIII ProArch Forum. I am also including the link to the online publication: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ #architecture #florence #giangiusseppevannelli #oblique #claudeparent by @claudeparent_architect

Shout-out to architecture students. As you know, we like to present you the work of some architecture students. Claude Parent Archives is dedicated to sharing information, scans, references or texts with students, historians, curators, and teachers. A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of meeting Vasilis Bilis, a Greek architecture student and author of “Ville Imaginaire: Ou pourquoi les Utopies Parisiennes se Dressent devant Moi?”, a book that explores different types of unbuilt projects, utopias or follies planned for Paris by architects and artists, including Claude Parent. But Vasilis’s quest is more than a simple historical review of utopias. Working with Marville’s photos of a Paris “that no longer exists” as starting material, he confronts these photos of the past with what Paris could have been. As he writes: “His photographic curiosity would become my vehicle for exploring the city regardless of season or reality”. #arhitecture #utopia #Paris #Marville #claudeparent by @claudeparent_architect

From the archives: Architects Jean Willerval (left) and Claude Parent (right) during a work meeting or presentation for EDF’s (Électricité de France) power plants projects, 1980s. Photo © Pierre Bérenger. #architecture #greatarchitects #jeanwillerval #claudeparent #edf by @claudeparent_architect

VENEZ NOMBREUX ! Après 18 mois de travaux de restauration, l’église Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay sera de nouveau ouverte aux fidèles et aux visiteurs. Chef-d’œuvre de l’architecture en béton, son apparence massive cache un cœur protecteur, comme une grotte. Claude Parent et Paul Virilio ont fait naître un bunker rassurant aux lignes graphiques à redécouvrir lors de la journée inauguration du samedi 24 octobre. Un temps officiel se déroulera le matin à 11h, alors qu’à partir de 14h, l’après-midi sera rythmé par des ateliers pour les enfants et les familles et des visites guidées. Toutes les animations sont gratuites ; pour certaines, une inscription est nécessaire.

La journée inaugurale sera aussi l’occasion de découvrir l’œuvre monumentale Tobrouk d’Anne Houel. La sculpture monolithique en acier Corten modélise l’espace intérieur d’un bunker individuel. Construite sur des principes architecturaux issus des travaux de Claude Parent et Paul Virilio, Tobrouk entre désormais en résonance avec l’église Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay, dont les portes sont faites du même acier. #brutaliste #saintebernadettedubanlay #architecture #inauguration #renovation by @claudeparent_architect

In Nevers to film 🎥 the restoration of the Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay church by Claude Parent and Paul Virilio. The church is turning 60 and will reopen in December! Work in progress…already looking so beautiful!
Thank you @villedenevers ! by @claudeparent_architect

Would you do a South of France summer here?

#architecture #design #france #home by @claudeparent_architect

Emotion…
to be offered this drawing by the family of the great architect Claude Parent.

Claude and I imagined a "folie" together: LA PERLE DU LAOS.
This drawing is the biggest of those created for this futurist, oblique, emotional, active, polysensual art-architecture.

😊 to share with you a few pics of this adventure between reality & fantasy, art & architecture, past & future.

🙏🏻I feel honour and responsibility for this gift: merci again to all the family. 🤍

This drawing was shown only once, at Foundation Cartier in 2011: have you seen it?
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#folie #ClaudeParent #MileneGuermont #concrete #ArtArchitecture by @claudeparent_architect