The Rock Garden at Chandigarh was born out of a meeting between an architectural genius and a self-taught artist. It offers food for thought about the interaction between urban development and nature.

The artist Nek Chand was discovered by the Collection de l’Art Brut Museum in Lausanne where his work is now on display. Born in Berian Kalan (India) in 1924, he started working on the construction of Chandigarh in the early 1950s, when the Indian government commissioned the Swiss architect Le Corbusier to design the city. In 1958 Nek Chand took over a plot of land outside Chandigarh and started to bring different materials – much of it city waste – to the site. He then began to make his first sculptures and construct his garden, working in total secrecy.

The Rock Garden was a spontaneous, alternative project created alongside the meticulous urban planning effort. While Le Corbusier’s architectural concept was rooted in rigour, logic, right angles and monochrome, Nek Chand’s project was full of intuition and imagination, based on curves and colour. The Rock Garden can be seen as the contribution of traditional Indian thought, both spiritual and close to nature, to Le Corbusier’s modern urban world, providing the complementarity necessary to artistic dialogue. The city of dreams and imagination thus echoes the bustling daily life of the real city.

Built entirely of recycled materials, Nek Chand’s universe has become a lasting extension of the modern city of Chandigarh. The Rock Garden is an ongoing work of art in perpetual expansion as people trained by the artist pursue the construction of the site.

The universe of Crédit Agricole (Suisse) SA has firm ties to sustainable development, construction and collective adventure, and Nek Chand’s approach reflects the values we uphold. We build lasting relationships and assist our clients with full respect for human relationships and our surrounding environment. We are also committed to working transparently with our clients for the long term.

As we were greatly impressed by Nek Chand’s visionary spirit and creativity, we decided to illustrate this year’s annual report with his outstanding architectural project – the reflection of a life time’s work.