Roquebrune Cap Martin
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VILLA E–1027: JEWEL OF DESIGNER ARCHITECTURE

Throughout its history, Villa E-1027, built in Roquebrune-Cap Martin in the 1920s by the Irish architect Eileen Gray and her lover Jean Badovici, almost ended up in ruins, in the true sense of the word. First saved by the Conservatoire du littoral, the villa is today preserved by the Cap Moderne association and houses works by the famous painter Le Corbusier.

PORTRAIT OF EILEEN GRAY

Born in Ireland in 1878, Eileen Gray, whose real name was Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith, left the very Victorian family world at the age of 22 to start her artistic adventure in London. A student at the Slade School of Fine Art, she discovered new techniques like painting, and also lacquering under the direction of the Japanese born, French-naturalized master lacquerist and sculptor Seizo Sugawara.

Independent by nature, she ambled from exhibition to exhibition, including one in Paris which made her want to study at the Académie Colarossi, and then at the Académie Julian, and to set up permanently in the capital.

Perfecting her know-how in lacquered panels and rugs, Eileen Gray was noticed by the art collector Jacques Doucet, and she was entrusted with new projects: this was the start of her career.

A GIFT TO A LOVER

In 1926, Eileen Gray began to create Villa E-1027. Intended for Jean Badovici, himself an architect and art critic, the two artists were romantically involved. Consequently, over the course of almost three years, they jointly imagined and built this icon of modern architecture with clever furnishings. The villa was the response to the following project: “a holiday home […] for a man who loves work, sport and hosting his friends.”

It is a small villa with one lounge, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a winter kitchen and a summer kitchen, etc. Meeting the five points of modern architecture with its pilotis, its roof garden, its free design of the ground plan, its horizontal windows and its free design of the façade, the villa nevertheless takes the opposing view of a certain, mechanistic vision of modernity. In fact, Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici wanted to give their architecture a soul, likening it to a living being and implementing an approach that calls to the senses as much as the spirit.

While the love story didn’t last very long, the villa still bears witness to this brief romance in its name. E-1027 actually intwines the initials of both architects “E for Eileen, 10 for the J in Jean, 2 for the B in Badovici, and 7 for the G in Gray”.

LE CORBUSIER LEAVES HIS MARK

Jean Badovici and Le Corbusier were close friends. Staying at the villa several times between 1937 and 1939, he built Le Corbusier’s Le Cabanon so that he could spend his holidays there.

The painter would create no less than seven wall paintings in villa E-1027. Works that were clearly not to Eileen Gray’s taste, who was particularly attached to white walls. Then, the Second World War did not spare E-1027. The walls were riddled with bullets and the villa was the scene for acts of violence. As a result, the paintings were damaged.

After hesitation between the painter and Eileen Gray about leaving history’s mark, Le Corbusier restored them himself in 1949 and 1963.

Three paintings are currently missing, but the remaining 4 are now listed!

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Une publication partagée par studio-hms (@studio_hms)

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Une publication partagée par Andi Arifaj (@and.arifaj)

RENEWAL AND REPURPOSING OF VILLA E-1027 BY THE CONSERVATOIRE DU LITTORAL

Badovici resided in villa E-1027 until his death in 1956. The architectural work was then sold by auction and was purchased in 1960 by a friend of Le Corbusier, at his request, to ensure its preservation.

There was a succession of owners and the villa suffered severe deterioration. In 1999, the  purchased villa E-1027, after the State decided to start a process to list it as a historic monument.

From 2006 to 2012, a first wave of renovation works were carried out on the building by Pierre-Antoine Gatier, head architect for historic monuments.

This major restoration programme, the aim of which was to return the villa to its original 1929 condition, continued in 2014 during the creation of the Cap Moderne association, which was entrusted at that time by the Conservatoire du Littoral with the showcasing the Eileen Gray – Étoile de Mer– Le Corbusier site and taking care of its touristic, cultural and commercial management.

VILLA E-1027, MODERN ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECE
E-1027 Cap Moderne - Historical Restoration
E-1027 Cap Moderne - Historical Restoration
E-1027 Cap Moderne - Historical Restoration
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