Le Corbusier, the Franco-Swiss architect and urban planner who dreamed of creating a "Radiant City" filled with buildings designed for universal happiness, died sixty years ago as one of history's most controversial yet influential architects. Born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, he invented even his own name, leaving behind a legacy that includes seventeen UNESCO World Heritage sites despite facing constant criticism and misunderstanding throughout his career.

The visionary architect had confided to his cousin Jacqueline that when he felt his strength failing, he would let himself die at sea. True to his word, Le Corbusier, whom she affectionately nicknamed "the romantic cactus," drowned on August 27, 1965, off the coast of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, under the watchful eyes of his dog Laki, who observed from the roof of the ascetic cabin where the master had retreated. Paris Match had interviewed the elderly architect just three days before, with Henry Pessar capturing what would be his final photograph.

Throughout his life, Le Corbusier remained a misunderstood spirit, abundantly insulted by critics and contemporaries. "Glory finds its supreme brilliance through outrage," declared André Malraux in his moving funeral oration during the national tribute held in the square courtyard of the Louvre on September 1, 1965. A Greek delegation brought soil from the Acropolis, while another from India placed Ganges water near his coffin, demonstrating the universal nature of his art. Despite inspiring admiration, this revolutionary urban planner with avant-garde ideas constantly clashed with the incomprehension of his contemporaries.

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris was born on October 6, 1887, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, into an austere Protestant family. His mother, Marie-Charlotte-Amélie, a piano teacher, preferred his older brother Albert, who would become a composer. However, she challenged her younger son with an injunction that would become prophecy: "I will make a genius of you." It was a difficult bet to win.

Abandoning his training as an engraver-chaser, a profession he deemed without future, Charles-Édouard hoped to shine through painting but quickly became disillusioned. His drawing teacher, who believed he had no talent, directed him toward architecture. His first creation in 1906, Villa Fallet, already earned him sharp criticism, with neighbors judging it "horrible." In 1909, decorator Eugène Grasset introduced him to the Perret brothers, who initiated him into reinforced concrete techniques, which would become his material of choice.

The turning point came in 1911 when he undertook a five-month journey with his friend, art historian August Klipstein, discovering the purity of the Acropolis ruins. This revelation fascinated him with the classical and solar lines of the ancient monument, inspiring him to develop his conception of new architecture. The ambitious creator, despite suffering failure after failure—a constant in his career—settled on Rue Jacob in Paris in 1917.

His cousin Pierre Jeanneret joined him in 1922, and together they created a workshop at 35 Rue de Sèvres that became a breeding ground for inventive and talented students. This marked the beginning of a consecration that would always remain controversial. In 1930, the Swiss obtained French nationality, listing "man of letters" as his profession on his passport. On December 18 of the same year, he married Yvonne Gallis, a former model of Monégasque origin, who remained by his side until her death in 1957, when he mourned "the guardian angel of my home, a woman loved by both simple and rich people."

On the advice of his friend, painter Amédée Ozenfant, with whom he would eventually quarrel, he changed his name and adopted "Le Corbusier" as his pseudonym. Because he loved to disguise himself, but also to forge armor against criticism, he created a silhouette with a unique style. Round tortoiseshell glasses, bow tie, and dark suit marked the controversial identity of this arrogant, supposedly self-taught architect. With his trailing Swiss accent, Le Corbusier irritated many.

His Radiant Cities sparked debate, as did his vertical "standardized housing units" with terraced gardens, perceived as totalitarian cubicles produced by a "concentration camp" vision. Critics pointed out that in his quest for grand projects, he had courted Mussolini by sending him his manifesto, and he fared no better under the Vichy regime. He was reproached for his fascist ideas and a biased conception of modern housing.

Despite the controversies, nothing diminishes his genius. He built only 79 edifices, of which 17 have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites since July 17, 2016. This proves that his work, even when controversial, generated numerous undeniable masterpieces of the modern movement. His architectural philosophy included designs conducive to everyone's happiness, surrounded by nature, sheltered from summer sun while capturing it in winter—a vision that continues to influence architecture today, sixty years after his death in the Mediterranean waters he loved.