Book Cote d'Azur

In 2020, the main stakeholders of the visual arts in the South of France united to promote the contemporary art offer on their territory. A new dynamic map (PleinSud) has been created to promote 72 contemporary visual art locations along the entire Mediterranean coast from Sérignan-Sète to Nice-Monaco. A cultural road trip to visit artists and their works, as well as various locations with exceptionally beautiful heritage. We visited some of these 72 locations in 2022 and 2023.

Also view the book Cote d'Azur

Cap Modern

When she built Villa E-1027, on a plot of land overlooking the Bay of Monaco in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Irish-born designer and architect Eileen Gray (1878-1976) experimented with a new style of architecture. Between 1949 and 1952, Thomas Rebutato (1907-1971) became her neighbor when he opened his small bar-restaurant and Le Corbusier (1887-1965) built his Cabanon. And then Le Corbusier built the Unités de Camping for Thomas Rebutato.

Villa Maeght

La Fondation Maeght perfectly combines modern and contemporary art with architecture and nature. In addition to the temporary exhibitions, la Fondation houses a collection of 13,000 works by artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Takis and many others. Buildings were designed in 1964 by Josep Lluís Sert.

Fondation Carmignac

Founded in 2000 by Édouard Carmignac, the Fondation Carmignac is a foundation built around two main pillars: a contemporary art collection of more than 300 works and the Carmignac Photojournalism Award. In collaboration with the Fondation Carmignac, a new location open to the public was inaugurated: the Villa Carmignac on the island of Porquerolles, where exhibitions and cultural events take place.

Friche de L'Escalette

When you leave Marseille, go along the beach and go to Calanque, in a hidden idyllic corner you will find a strange little paradise of Éric Touchaleaume and his family. With a lot of hard work and unwavering determination, they brought this site fully to life. La Friche de l'Escalette rose from the ashes and was transformed into a park dedicated to sculpture and architecture, with its first pop-up exhibition dedicated to Jean Prouvé in 2016. A visit accompanied by the sound of cicadas, where nature reclaims the land and offers us a surprising show where the ruins mix natural beauty with broken dreams.

Unite d'Habitation

Unite d'Habitation has 337 apartments of 23 different types. They are designed to accommodate families of 1 to 10 people. Le Corbusier revolutionized construction and transformed the lying city into a standing city. After many protests, Le Corbusier will convince the authorities that he has designed a collective complex, which is easy to build and able to make people happy. This is how the “living machine” was born that offers everything for residents: comfort, light, numerous storage spaces, an integrated kitchen, ... everything designed according to ergonomics adapted to the human body.

Mucem Marseille

The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MuCEM) is the first museum dedicated to Mediterranean cultures. Located with a sea view, on the former J4 pier in the harbour, the building designed by Rudy Ricciotti forms the heart of the Mucem. Opened in 2013, the building is already known worldwide for its architecture that combines technical prowess and visual power. This cube with its elegant concrete lacework forms a square floor plan of 72 meters by 72 meters. It is held by 309 branched poles that surround the exhibition spaces, freeing the central part of the building from load-bearing boundary conditions. These pillars are made of fiber-reinforced concrete, a new product derived from research, as flexible as it is resistant.

La Tourette's

It was probably the La Tourette housing project in Marseille, initiated in 1949, that prompted Pouillon to think about the complex relationship between tradition and innovation. The program and location of the La Tourette housing project were the result of the war devastation caused by the German army in 1943. The resulting housing shortage formed the basis for a new debate on collective housing in Marseille, in which a completely new typology was considered: mass housing in high-rise buildings.

Luma Arles

The LUMA Foundation was established in 2004 by Maja Hoffmann in Zurich, Switzerland, to support artistic creation in the fields of visual arts, photography, publishing, documentary films and multimedia. Considered as a production tool for the multiple initiatives launched by Maja Hoffmann, the LUMA Foundation produces, supports and finances artistic projects that aim to deepen understanding of issues related to the environment, human rights, education and culture.

Arles, Les Recontres de la Photographie

The festival was founded in 1970 by photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier and art historian Jean-Maurice Rouquette. Their aim? To promote photography as an art form, by presenting it in a wider cultural context. Les Rencontres d’Arles takes place every year in Arles, a town between Provence and the Camargue known for its exceptional ancient heritage. Since its inception, the festival has gone from strength to strength. Today it attracts artists, critics, photography enthusiasts and the simply curious from all over the world. Over the years, it has become one of the most important and prestigious international photography events.

Lee Ufan

In the heart of the Hôtel Vernon, a private mansion built between the 16th and 18th centuries, halfway between the Arenas and the Place du Forum, 1350 m2 on three floors reveal the works of the painter and minimalist sculptor

Collection Lambert

The Collection Lambert in Avignon is a unique contemporary art museum, the brainchild of the gallerist and art collector Yvon Lambert, who donated to the French State an exceptional collection of major works from the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st. Hosted across a pair of magnificent 18th-century mansions in the center of Avignon, the Collection Lambert regularly runs ambitious exhibitions and puts on a varied cultural and educational program supported by the State, the City of Avignon, the regional and departmental authorities, and private benefactors.

Chateau la Coste

Situated in one of the oldest winemaking regions of France, between the historic city of Aix-En-Provence and the Luberon National Park, Château La Coste is a vineyard where wine, art and architecture co-exist in harmony. Since it opened to the public in 2011, Château La Coste invites visitors to discover over forty major works of contemporary art installed in the open air and five gallery spaces dotted across the 500-acre site.

More information

Take a look at the book we made of our trips to Cote-d'Azur-2022

Overige informatie
PleinSud
Cap Moderne
Villa E-1027 Iconic Houses
Villa Maeght
Fondation Carmignac
Tom Avermaete Oase#92
Friche Escalette
Luma Arles
Arles, Les Recontres de la Photographie
Lee Ufan
Collection Lambert
Chateau la Coste