La main ouverte 1963

This 1963 original twelve-colour lithograph by Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, 1887–1965), titled La Main Ouverte (The Open Hand), was printed at the renowned Atelier Mourlot in Paris and published by Heidi Weber, Zurich. Monogrammed and dated in the plate (“L-C 23-8-63”), the work belongs to a series of graphic explorations closely tied to the artist’s late symbolic vocabulary. It is catalogued as Weber 1 / FLC-ES031.

The motif of the Open Hand occupies a central place in Le Corbusier’s visual and philosophical universe. Conceived as a symbol of peace, reconciliation, and exchange — “open to give, open to receive” — it famously culminated in the monumental sculpture created for Chandigarh, India. In this lithograph, the hand appears stylised and abstracted, rendered through bold contour lines and vibrant colour planes typical of the artist’s late graphic language.

Produced in twelve colours, the print reflects the technical sophistication of Mourlot’s workshop, which collaborated with many major twentieth-century artists. The textured surfaces, dynamic colour contrasts, and expressive simplicity highlight Le Corbusier’s fusion of architecture, painting, and symbolic form during his mature period.

Today, this lithograph stands as both an important graphic work by one of modernism’s most influential figures and a visual statement of his humanist ideals, bridging architecture, art, and universal symbolism.