Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts is the only building on the North American continent designed by the famous French architect Le Corbusier. Despite the controversy over placing a building of such modern design in a traditional location, Le Corbusier felt that a building devoted to the visual arts must be an experience of freedom and unbound creativity. The Carpenter Center represents Corbusier’s attempt to create a "synthesis of the arts." the union of architecture with painting, sculpture, through his innovative design. The five levels of the building function as open and flexible working spaces for painting, drawing, and sculpture, and the ramp through the heart of the building encourages public circulation and provides views into the studios, making the creative process visible through the building design. The Main Gallery, at ground level, and the Sert Gallery, at the top of the ramp, features the work of contemporary artists. The Carpenter Center is also home to the Harvard Film Archive, which brings to the public a unique program of classic, rare and experimental films.