Le Corbusier (1887-1965) is one of the giants of twentieth-century architecture and design. Born Charles Edouard Jeanneret in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the self-named Le Corbusier was not only the creator of some of the most important and impressive buildings of the last century--Villa Savoye at Poissy, the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp, the Parliament Building in Chandigarh, India--he was also an accomplished painter, sculptor, furniture designer, urbanist, and author. His work and social theories continue to be a dominant force in the world of architecture and design, while his elegant bearing, typified by his round black eyeglasses, which are still today a signature look for architects around the world, helped cast him as an heroic figure out of Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead.