La licorne passe sur la mer

Designed in 1958, La licorne passe sur la mer is a perfect example of what Le Corbusier called a “Muralnomad.” To him, a tapestry wasn’t just a piece of art to hang on a wall; it was a “movable mural” that served a real purpose. He wanted something warm and tactile to balance out the hard, cold concrete walls of his buildings and to help absorb sound. For Le Corbusier, a room wasn’t truly finished until the architecture and the art were “talking” to each other.

This specific piece, Edition 1/5, was hand-woven at the Atelier Pinton in Felletin. It’s a modern take on the old medieval theme of the “Lady and the Unicorn,” but Le Corbusier stripped away all the clutter to focus on bold, simple shapes. The background is a deep, solid black, split down the middle by a sharp white band. On the right, a large red shape blends into the pale torso of a woman, while the unicorn itself appears in the center as a mix of simple forms with a bright yellow horn. At the bottom, a field of grey-blue represents the sea—a calm base for the whole vibrant scene.

What makes this edition truly special is its history. In 1962, it was bought by Edith Hooper for her home, the Hooper House II, which was designed by the famous architect Marcel Breuer. This connection to a major modern home is backed up by letters between Hooper and Le Corbusier. In their exchange, Hooper asked about the meaning of the unicorn. Le Corbusier’s reply was famously simple: he told her that the unicorn passes over the sea, not under it, and that once the work left his studio, its meaning belonged to her. Today, this tapestry remains a rare link between the worlds of architecture, painting, and traditional weaving.