Property developer Rajan Bijlani, based in north London, has amassed a collection of over 500 pieces of Modernist design, with a particular focus on Pierre Jeanneret's furniture created for Chandigarh, India. He recently opened his home, Fonthill Pottery, for a second exhibition titled 'Electric Kiln', pairing works by Jeanneret and Le Corbusier with ceramics by Lucie Rie and Emmanuel Cooper, and paintings by Frank Auerbach. Some works are for sale to fund future shows and preservation efforts.
Bijlani's collection and exhibitions matter because they challenge the boundary between fine art and collectible design, and aim to elevate Jeanneret's legacy as a foundational 20th-century designer. By staging shows in his own home and focusing on authenticity—calling out fakes and poor restorations—he offers a model for private collectors to act as curators and stewards of design history. The inclusion of South Asian diaspora artists and local London connections also highlights how personal collections can engage with broader cultural and geographic narratives.