Should Le Corbusier’s E.1027 murals be considered as “historical monuments”?

Abstract

Le Corbusier’s murals in E.1027, the famous house designed by Eileen Gray, have been maintained and restored as “historical monuments”. I subscribe to a different view, and shall express it from three perspectives: • a legal and administrative dimension: only Eileen Gray’s E.1027 is designated a Historical Monument. The murals are not covered by this classification. • an artistic point of view: Le Corbusier’s murals are detrimental to the original state of the architectural work and to the spirit of the house, they are discordant. The murals, by their mere presence, endanger the architectural work. • a physical/technical angle: Le Corbusier’s murals themselves are in physical danger.