In the Beginning there was Le Corbusier

Gallery owner Tomas Rabara – formerly a journalist, reporter, and copywriter – was infected with the LC virus 15 years ago by his wife, who, after studying architecture, was official auxiliary to Heidi Weber at the Le Corbusier Center for two years. In 2010, the couple’s first exhibition dedicated to Le Corbusier’s work took place, «Le Corbusier  – Baumeister des Interieurs» (Le Corbusier – Master Builder of Interiors), followed by others, including an exhibition in 2013 in the Architekturforum Zürich. For this occasion, Tomas Rabara had the pleasure of winning over Mario Botta, who gave a lecture detailing the inspiring role that the extensive artistic work of the Swiss universal genius plays not only for him.

Tomas Rabara mainly found access to the world of posters through those which Le Corbusier himself had created for his exhibitions. The sheer motivic abundance of captivating artistic quality, the congenial combination of text and image, as well as the influential binding together of the respective situation and zeitgeist (whether in art, fashion, politics or industry) turn posters into grandiose images and outstanding sources that bring the past directly before the viewer’s eye, thereby strengthening awareness of the present. Several posters made history – and yet – there are those that make it accessible in a way second to none.

Meanwhile, author of the catalog «Bauen auf Kunst – Le Corbusiers Druckgraphiken aus fünf Jahrzehnten», (Building on Art – Five Decades of Le Corbusier’s Prints, 2013), and member of the International Vintage Poster Dealers Association, Tomas Rabara graduated from the Bern University of the Arts with a CAS. His areas of expertise includes specialization, especially in printing techniques, the recognition of reproductions, falsifications, and also provenance research. He is a connoisseur of Le Corbusier’s work and the area of Original Vintage Posters. Tomas Rabara’s clients include collectors and enthusiasts, as well as businesses and public institutions. He guarantees the authenticity of all works offered at Placart and takes great pleasure in sharing his expertise and advising clients in purchasing works.

Le Corbusier, Placart as well (LC 1938 in Zürich; source: Photopress, Zürich)