Jean-Jacques Lequeu - Carrefour des orangers, 1777

Born in Rouen, Jean-Jacques Lequeu (1757–1826) trained as a draftsman in his hometown before studying in Paris. Influenced by Neoclassicism, Italy, and the theories of Soufflot, he quickly broke away from academic conventions. He developed a highly singular vision, driven by encyclopedic curiosity and a strong taste for the unusual.

Radically departing from functionalism, his work favors an obsessive narrative expressiveness. His drawings, of surgical precision, combine pure geometry with anthropomorphic, erotic, or grotesque ornamentation. Architecture becomes a complex symbol with dramatic shadows, often technically unbuildable, defying the aesthetic norms of the 18th century. Although his projects were never realized, his vast creative freedom is preserved in Architecture civile, a monumental collection of nearly 800 plates.

Long forgotten, this manuscript collection bequeathed to the Bibliothèque nationale de France was rediscovered in the 20th century. Fascinating the Surrealists, Lequeu is now celebrated as a precursor of utopian architecture, elevating drawing into a true space of resistance.