THE 5 TREASURES TO DISCOVER AFTER CONFINEMENT
# 5 Le Cabanon du Corbusier and Villa E-1027 by Eileen Gray
ATHILIE in NiceMonday 11 MAY 2020 ESTIMATED READING TIME: 8 MINUTES
We decided to highlight 5 numbers on cult places to visit after the confinement between art, architecture and people through photos, videos unknown to the general public. This great adventure ends in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and especially on the site of the Cap Moderne association, since 2018 the site has been classified as a national monument . We could have talked to you as in previous articles about a single construction.
At Athilie we are generous and for this last issue we have chosen to present you the 3 jewels of modern architecture, fruit of friendship, talent, daring and passion: the villa E-1027 of Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici , the Cabanon and the Le Corbusier and Étoile de Mer camping units .
VILLA E-1027: ICON OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE
Villa E-1027 is a seaside house, accessible only by the coastal path . Architect-decorator Eileen Gray and architect Jean Badovici offer us the perfect example of modern architecture of the 1930s. Eileen Gray supported by Jean Badovici began to work in 1942 on the study of a new project: the construction and decoration of a modern secondary house for Badovici. This project will allow the talented Eileen Gray to design all the furniture, fixed or mobile furniture inseparable from the villa, but also to learn about architecture.
The works began in 1926 as did the love story between Jean Badovici and Eileen Gray which inspired the name of the villa: E for Eileen, 10 for J de Jean (10th letter of the alphabet), 2 for the B of Badovici, 7 for the G of Gray. Their story inspired a film released in 2015: The Price of Desire .
Today the villa, its frescoes and its exteriors have been classified as historic monuments and obtained the Label "Heritage of the 20th century" .
In the photo below: the Transat armchair, the Bibendum armchair, the Monte-Carlo bench, the Rivoli table, the Centimeter carpet, the cork desk table, the dining room chairs .
Villa E-1027 and Eileen Gray's furniture for Jean Badovici, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
« When we see (...) these interiors where everything seems to respond to a strict and cold calculation (...), we wonder if man could be satisfied to stay there. (...) We had to (...) seek to create an interior atmosphere in harmony with the refinements of modern intimate life. »
Jean BADOVICI - From eclecticism to doubt.
Villa E-1027 and Eileen Gray's furniture for Jean Badovici, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
« Everyone, even in a small house, must be able to remain free, independent. He must feel like he is alone. »
Eileen GRAY - From eclecticism to doubt.
Villa E-1027 and Eileen Gray's furniture for Jean Badovici, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
THE ARRIVAL OF CORBUSIER AND THOMAS REBUTATO
Eileen Gray left Jean Badovici and villa E-1027 in 1932. He remained in his villa until his death and she built his own house in Menton, the Tempe villa in Païa . Badovici will host Le Corbusier and his wife on several occasions. From 1938, Le Corbusier painted several frescoes on the walls of the villa, encouraged by Badovici but disapproved of by Eileen Gray. Frescoes that he himself restored after the war in 1949 and 1963.
In parallel with this story and right next to the villa, in 1949 Thomas Rebutato opened the Etoile de Mer , his first client was Le Corbusier, host of Badovici. In 1952, with the authorization of Rebutato, Le Corbusier installed his Cabanon on his property. The shed is glued and communicates through a door with the Etoile de Mer.
Thomas Rebutato behind the bar of his Étoile de Mer, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
THE SHED: MINIMUM CELL
The rustic-looking Corbusier shed , the pine-clad exterior walls contrast with the white of its modern architectural works. The Cabanon combines the spirit of the cabins with the functionalism of the modern architect . Everything is summarized in a square cell of 3.66 x 3.66 meters and 2.26 meters in height, measurements established from the Modulor . There is a sitting area, a working area, a bathroom area. Furniture side: a bed, a table, and some storage. Le Corbusier uses color to create a joyful sobriety. The Cabanon was pre-made in Corsica and then assembled on site. The exclusively wooden interior is lit by two small windows, one of them framed on the Mediterranean. Le Corbusier wants to live in harmony with nature and installs his shower outside the Cabanon.
The Cabanon of Le Corbusier, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
“I have a castle on the Côte d'Azur, which is 3.66 meters by 3.66 meters. It's for my wife, it's extravagant in comfort and kindness. "
Le Corbusier
The Cabanon of Le Corbusier, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
THE SHED: ERGONOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL
The Cabanon represents the culmination of research on the minimum cell. This subject is right at the heart of the concerns of modern architects of the 20th century and revives the myth of the primitive hut. The Cabanon, a hymn to sobriety, is a work of art, a manifesto of modern architecture recognized worldwide. The Cassina house has made two replicas of the shed which are regularly exhibited in museums. Le Corbusier did not stop there and built five camping units for the Rebutato family.
Le Corbusier camping units, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
CAMPING UNITS
Camping units constitute the architectural work that Le Corbusier built in 1951 in exchange with the Rebutato family for the land where his Cabanon was placed a few meters away. The camping units use most of the construction principles of the Cabanon.
The longitudinal building is made up of a wooden structure housing the five units placed on reinforced concrete piles. These units are the result of the architect's research on a modular and economic leisure accommodation suitable for mass tourism. The units of 8m2 each can accommodate up to 2 people, a large bay inspired by modern architecture frames the sumptuous landscape of the Mediterranean.
These units have enabled the Rebutato to enrich their land and welcome tourists attracted by the calm and life by the sea.
Le Corbusier camping units, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
“Current architecture takes care of the house, the ordinary and everyday house for normal and everyday men. She drops the palates. This is a sign of the times. "
Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier camping units, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
Villa E-1027 was then sold at auction and acquired in 1960 by a friend of Le Corbusier, at his request, to ensure its preservation.
Le Corbusier will end his days in his Cabanon in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, he dies of a heart attack during his daily swim in the Mediterranean and will be buried with his wife in the cemetery of Cap Martin after an official funeral at the Louvre.
Following the death of Le Corbusier, Thomas Rebutato built 3 small kitchens under the stilts of the Camping Units. When she died in 1971, Marguerite Rebutato kept the "sandwich bar" and continued to welcome tourists until 1984 in these small rooms.
Le Cabanon du Corbusier, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (06)
At the end of confinement, go to this unique place, Avenue Le Corbusier
06190 Roquebrune Cap-Martin . The visit organized by Cap Moderne is guided and includes all of these constructions. As a bonus after the visit, you will be able to go to Le Buse beach, while swimming in the Mediterranean, you will have a magnificent view of Villa E-1027, the Camping Units, the Starfish and the Cabanon.
Thanks to Cap Moderne , the Center des monuments nationaux , Roquebrune-Cap-Martin , Fondation Le Corbusier , Manuel Bougot.