Villa E1027
21.05.2025 – Storie di architettura
Testo di Gianni Magnolia foto di Stefania Scarpa
E1027 è la villa che la designer Eileen Gray (Enniscorthy 1878 – Parigi 1976) ha realizzato per lei e il suo compagno, l’architetto Jean Badovici (Romania 1893 – Monaco 1956), sulla scogliera di Roquebrune-Cap-Martin tra il 1926 e il 1929. Qui il tratto di costa è molto bello e la posizione dove sorge la villa, nei pressi della stazione ferroviaria, lungo la passeggiata pedonale fronte mare che conduce a Mentone, è incantevole. Il nome della villa è un nome in codice: E sta per Eileen, 10 sta per J, la decima lettera dell’alfabeto, l’iniziale di Jean, 2 sta per B, la seconda lettera dell’alfabeto, l’iniziale di Badovici, 7 sta per G, la settima lettera dell’alfabeto, l’iniziale di Gray.
Eileen Gray è stata una designer che si è dedicata alla progettazione di mobili e complementi di arredo, all’allestimento di spazi interni e alla progettazione architettonica. Si è affermata nel 1919 quando ricevette l’incarico di decorare il salotto di Suzanne Talbot (celebrità della moda parigina degli anni 20). Alcuni suoi mobili (il tavolino regolabile table E1027, la poltrona Bibendum, la poltrona Transat, la lampada Tubelight), come del resto anche villa E1027, sono divenute delle vere e proprie icone. Sua anche la Dragon Chair disegnata nel 1917 in stile Art Déco (stile in voga ai tempi della sua realizzazione) poi diventata la poltrona più pagata al mondo (comprata all’asta dai galleristi parigini Robert e Cheska Vallois da Christie’s nella tenuta di Yves Saint Laurent nel 2009 per la cifra record di 21,9 milioni di euro).
Jean Badovici, amico di Le Corbusier, fu architetto e direttore della rivista francese di architettura d’avanguardia L’Archicture Vivante. Eileen Gray non era un architetto e fu Badovici a spronarla a dedicarsi all’architettura. Nel 1929 quando i lavori di E1027 furono terminati Badovici gli dedicò un intero numero di L’Archicture Vivante. I disegni tecnici (piante, prospetti, sezioni) pubblicati non sono stati fatti da Eileen Gray (lei non conosceva il disegno tecnico utilizzato nel progetto architettonico) ma sono stati eseguiti o comunque validati da Badovici (come si legge nel libro di Francesco Maggio “Eileen Gray. Interpretazioni grafiche” edito da Franco Angeli nel 2011).
E1027 è una casa stretta e lunga a campata unica in cui gli spazi, i collegamenti interni tra le varie parti e quelli verso l’esterno sono stati elaborati nel minimo dettaglio: un’architettura pensata e organizzata per come sarà vissuta a partire dalle caratteristiche ambientali (illuminazione, vento, visuali) del luogo di costruzione. Gli interni sono allestiti con mobili e complementi disegnati dalla stessa Eileen Gray. Il suo lavoro è l’espressione di un perfetto equilibrio tra funzionalità, estetica e comfort.
E1027 è una costruzione di rara bellezza che rimanda con il pensiero sia alle ville realizzate da Le Corbusier dopo la progettazione dell’opera di Eileen Gray sia alla precedente Villa Le Lac costruita tra il 1923 e il 1924 a Corseaux sul lago Lemano in Svizzera.
Si racconta che Le Corbusier nel corso degli anni manifestò una vera e propria ossessione nei confronti di villa E1027. Tra il 1938 e il 1939 (quando Gray e Badovici erano ormai separati) Le Corbusier ospite di Badovici (la casa gli fu lasciata da Eileen Gray) dipinse 8 murales coloratissimi. I muri bianchi, puri, essenziali così come pensati e voluti da Eileen Gray vennero sfregiati da forme e colori di pitture ad essi completamente estranei. In questo modo Le Corbusier non si curò minimamente delle caratteristiche della costruzione ricercate da Eileen Gray e si comportò come se in qualche modo volesse appropriarsene marcandola con il suo segno.
Anche gli esterni della villa portano le impronte del passaggio di Le Corbusier. Nel 1949 Thomas Rebuttato sul terreno confinante con quello di E1027 (da lui comprato nel 1947) apre il ristorante Etoile de Mer pensato come una terrazza innanzi al mare sulla quale mangiare il pesce appena pescato. Le Corbusier ne è uno dei primi e più assidui frequentatori e diventato amico di Rebuttato nel 1950 dipinge un quadro, poi appeso sulla facciata del locale, che ritrae Rebuttato e un pescatore del posto, dal titolo “A l’Etoile de Mer règne l’amité”.
Le Corbusier ottiene da Rebuttato la disponibilità di una piccola parte di terreno accanto l’Etoile de Mer dove nel 1952 sistema il suo Cabanon (disegnato nel 1951 quale regalo di compleanno per la moglie Yvonne Gallis). In cambio Le Corbusier si occupa, sullo stesso terreno, dell’edificazione delle Unites de Camping (5 essenziali e spartani alloggi per vacanze) poi avvenuta nel 1956.
E1027 e le altre costruzioni nelle immediate vicinanze risultano tutte in qualche modo firmate da Le Corbusier. Egli morì il 27 agosto del 1965 colto da un malore mentre nuotava, come era sua consuetudine, nelle amate acque antistanti E1027.
Nel corso degli anni Villa E1027, abbandonata e saccheggiata, si riduce in un cumulo di parti deteriorate a causa di incuria, atti vandalici e azione aggressiva e corrosiva dell’ambiente marino circostante. Nel 1999 fu acquistata dal Conservatoire du Littoral l’organizzazione del governo francese che si occupa della conservazione e della gestione delle aree costiere. Nel 2000 casa E1027 diventa un monumento storico. Nello stesso anno, per preservarne nel tempo il valore, gli eredi di Thomas Rebuttato donarono il ristorante Etoile de Mer e le Unités De Camping al Conservatoire du Littoral. Essi crearono anche un’associazione di tutela per la gestione delle attività culturali dell’intero sito: l’associazione Cap Moderne che si è occupata del restauro di villa E1027 e continua a occuparsi dell’intera area e delle visite guidate della stessa.
Visita di Villa E1027 e dell’intera area: sito prenotazioni monumenti francesi
Presentazione delle attività di Cape Moderne: sito Cap Moderne
Alcuni spunti per approfondire la conoscenza di Eileen Gray e di E1027:
– la biografia di Peter Adam “Eileen Gray: Her Life and Her Work” edito da Thames & Hudson
– il libro di Francesco Maggio “Eileen Gray. Interpretazioni grafiche” edito da Franco Angeli
– il film “The Price of Desire” del 2015 di Mary McGuckian
Villa E1027
21.05.2025 – Architectural Stories
Text by Gianni Magnolia photos by Stefania Scarpa
E1027 is the villa that designer Eileen Gray (Enniscorthy 1878 – Paris 1976) built for herself and her partner, architect Jean Badovici (Romania 1893 – Monaco 1956), on the cliffs of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin between 1926 and 1929. Here the stretch of coast is very beautiful and the position where the villa stands, near the train station, along the pedestrian promenade facing the sea that leads to Menton, is enchanting. The name of the villa is a code name: E stands for Eileen, 10 stands for J, the tenth letter of the alphabet, the initial of Jean, 2 stands for B, the second letter of the alphabet, the initial of Badovici, 7 stands for G, the seventh letter of the alphabet, the initial of Gray.
Eileen Gray was a designer who dedicated herself to designing furniture and furnishings, interior design and architectural design. She made her name in 1919 when she was commissioned to decorate the living room of Suzanne Talbot (a celebrity of Parisian fashion in the 1920s). Some of her furniture (the adjustable table E1027, the Bibendum armchair, the Transat armchair, the Tubelight lamp), as well as villa E1027, have become true icons. He also designed the Dragon Chair in 1917 in Art Deco style (a style in vogue at the time of its creation) which later became the most expensive armchair in the world (bought at auction by Parisian gallery owners Robert and Cheska Vallois at Christie’s in the estate of Yves Saint Laurent in 2009 for the record sum of 21.9 million euros).
Jean Badovici, a friend of Le Corbusier, was an architect and director of the avant-garde French architecture magazine L’Architecture Vivante. Eileen Gray was not an architect and it was Badovici who encouraged her to devote herself to architecture. In 1929, when the work on E1027 was completed, Badovici dedicated an entire issue of L’Architecture Vivante to it. The published technical drawings (plans, elevations, sections) were not made by Eileen Gray (she did not know the technical drawing used in the architectural project) but were executed or at least validated by Badovici (as can be read in the book by Francesco Maggio “Eileen Gray. Graphic interpretations” published by Franco Angeli in 2011).
E1027 is a long, narrow house with a single span in which the spaces, the internal connections between the various parts and those to the outside have been developed in the smallest detail: an architecture designed and organized for how it will be experienced starting from the environmental characteristics (lighting, wind, views) of the construction site. The interiors are furnished with furniture and accessories designed by Eileen Gray herself. Her work is the expression of a perfect balance between functionality, aesthetics and comfort.
E1027 is a building of rare beauty that brings to mind both the villas built by Le Corbusier after designing Eileen Gray’s work and the previous Villa Le Lac built between 1923 and 1924 in Corseaux on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
It is said that over the years Le Corbusier showed a real obsession with Villa E1027. Between 1938 and 1939 (when Gray and Badovici were now separated) Le Corbusier, a guest of Badovici (the house was left to him by Eileen Gray), painted 8 very colorful murals. The white, pure, essential walls, just as conceived and desired by Eileen Gray, were defaced by the shapes and colors of paintings that were completely alien to them. In this way, Le Corbusier did not care at all about the characteristics of the building sought by Eileen Gray and behaved as if he somehow wanted to appropriate it by marking it with his sign.
Even the exteriors of the villa bear the imprint of Le Corbusier’s passage. In 1949, Thomas Rebuttato opened the Etoile de Mer restaurant on the land bordering that of E1027 (which he bought in 1947), conceived as a terrace facing the sea on which to eat freshly caught fish. Le Corbusier was one of the first and most assiduous visitors and, having become a friend of Rebuttato in 1950, he painted a picture, later hung on the facade of the restaurant, which portrays Rebuttato and a local fisherman, entitled “A l’Etoile de Mer règne l’amité”.
Le Corbusier obtained from Rebuttato the availability of a small piece of land next to the Etoile de Mer where in 1952 he placed his Cabanon (designed in 1951 as a birthday present for his wife Yvonne Gallis). In exchange, Le Corbusier took care of the construction of the Unites de Camping (5 basic and spartan holiday homes) on the same land, which then took place in 1956.
E1027 and the other buildings in the immediate vicinity are all in some way signed by Le Corbusier. He died on August 27, 1965, struck by an illness while swimming, as was his custom, in the beloved waters in front of E1027.
Over the years, Villa E1027, abandoned and looted, was reduced to a pile of deteriorated parts due to neglect, vandalism and the aggressive and corrosive action of the surrounding marine environment. In 1999, it was purchased by the Conservatoire du Littoral, the French government organization that deals with the conservation and management of coastal areas. In 2000, House E1027 became a historical monument. In the same year, to preserve its value over time, the heirs of Thomas Rebuttato donated the Etoile de Mer restaurant and the Unités De Camping to the Conservatoire du Littoral. They also created a protection association for the management of cultural activities on the entire site: the Cap Moderne association, which took care of the restoration of Villa E1027 and continues to take care of the entire area and its guided tours.
Visit to Villa E1027 and the entire area: French monuments booking site
Presentation of Cape Moderne activities: Cap Moderne site
Some ideas for learning more about Eileen Gray and E1027:
– Peter Adam’s biography “Eileen Gray: Her Life and Her Work” published by Thames & Hudson
– Francesco Maggio’s book “Eileen Gray. Graphic interpretations” published by Franco Angeli
– Mary McGuckian’s 2015 film “The Price of Desire”
Al riparo dei morsi della calura estiva, al piano terreno, in posizione parecchio riservata, trova sistemazione un busto in bronzo raffigurante Eilen Gray realizzato dall’artista irlandese Vera Klute. Lei è lì, sul quel terreno scelto con tanta passione, nella sua casa progettata e costruita con perseveranza e dedizione a godersi la vista meravigliosa che il luogo offre. Una presenza discreta quasi nascosta come il suo lavoro per Villa E1027 per anni all’ombra dei successivi interventi di Le Corbusier.
Dopo la visita di E1027 con grande stupore nel guardare gli scatti fotografici di Stefania Scarpa vedo le immagini del busto di Eilen Gray. Stefania non conosceva appieno la storia della casa ma ne ha colto un aspetto importante raffigurando ciò che la maggior parte dei visitatori ignora.
Sheltered from the bites of the summer heat, on the ground floor, there is a bronze bust depicting Eilen Gray created by the Irish artist Vera Klute. She is there, on that land chosen with such passion, in her house designed and built with perseverance and dedication to enjoy the wonderful view that the place offers. A discreet presence almost hidden like her work for Villa E1027 for years in the shadow of the subsequent interventions of Le Corbusier.
After the visit of E1027 with great amazement in looking at the photographs of Stefania Scarpa I see the images of the bust of Eilen Gray. Stefania did not fully know the history of the house but she captured an important aspect of it by depicting what most visitors do not realize they see.
Villa E1027
21.05.2025 – Architectural Stories
Text by Gianni Magnolia photos by Stefania Scarpa
E1027 is the villa that designer Eileen Gray (Enniscorthy 1878 – Paris 1976) built for herself and her partner, architect Jean Badovici (Romania 1893 – Monaco 1956), on the cliffs of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin between 1926 and 1929. Here the stretch of coast is very beautiful and the position where the villa stands, near the train station, along the pedestrian promenade facing the sea that leads to Menton, is enchanting. The name of the villa is a code name: E stands for Eileen, 10 stands for J, the tenth letter of the alphabet, the initial of Jean, 2 stands for B, the second letter of the alphabet, the initial of Badovici, 7 stands for G, the seventh letter of the alphabet, the initial of Gray.
Eileen Gray was a designer who dedicated herself to designing furniture and furnishings, interior design and architectural design. She made her name in 1919 when she was commissioned to decorate the living room of Suzanne Talbot (a celebrity of Parisian fashion in the 1920s). Some of her furniture (the adjustable table E1027, the Bibendum armchair, the Transat armchair, the Tubelight lamp), as well as villa E1027, have become true icons. He also designed the Dragon Chair in 1917 in Art Deco style (a style in vogue at the time of its creation) which later became the most expensive armchair in the world (bought at auction by Parisian gallery owners Robert and Cheska Vallois at Christie’s in the estate of Yves Saint Laurent in 2009 for the record sum of 21.9 million euros).
Jean Badovici, a friend of Le Corbusier, was an architect and director of the avant-garde French architecture magazine L’Architecture Vivante. Eileen Gray was not an architect and it was Badovici who encouraged her to devote herself to architecture. In 1929, when the work on E1027 was completed, Badovici dedicated an entire issue of L’Architecture Vivante to it. The published technical drawings (plans, elevations, sections) were not made by Eileen Gray (she did not know the technical drawing used in the architectural project) but were executed or at least validated by Badovici (as can be read in the book by Francesco Maggio “Eileen Gray. Graphic interpretations” published by Franco Angeli in 2011).
E1027 is a long, narrow house with a single span in which the spaces, the internal connections between the various parts and those to the outside have been developed in the smallest detail: an architecture designed and organized for how it will be experienced starting from the environmental characteristics (lighting, wind, views) of the construction site. The interiors are furnished with furniture and accessories designed by Eileen Gray herself. Her work is the expression of a perfect balance between functionality, aesthetics and comfort.
E1027 is a building of rare beauty that brings to mind both the villas built by Le Corbusier after designing Eileen Gray’s work and the previous Villa Le Lac built between 1923 and 1924 in Corseaux on Lake Geneva in Switzerland.
It is said that over the years Le Corbusier showed a real obsession with Villa E1027. Between 1938 and 1939 (when Gray and Badovici were now separated) Le Corbusier, a guest of Badovici (the house was left to him by Eileen Gray), painted 8 very colorful murals. The white, pure, essential walls, just as conceived and desired by Eileen Gray, were defaced by the shapes and colors of paintings that were completely alien to them. In this way, Le Corbusier did not care at all about the characteristics of the building sought by Eileen Gray and behaved as if he somehow wanted to appropriate it by marking it with his sign.
Even the exteriors of the villa bear the imprint of Le Corbusier’s passage. In 1949, Thomas Rebuttato opened the Etoile de Mer restaurant on the land bordering that of E1027 (which he bought in 1947), conceived as a terrace facing the sea on which to eat freshly caught fish. Le Corbusier was one of the first and most assiduous visitors and, having become a friend of Rebuttato in 1950, he painted a picture, later hung on the facade of the restaurant, which portrays Rebuttato and a local fisherman, entitled “A l’Etoile de Mer règne l’amité”.
Le Corbusier obtained from Rebuttato the availability of a small piece of land next to the Etoile de Mer where in 1952 he placed his Cabanon (designed in 1951 as a birthday present for his wife Yvonne Gallis). In exchange, Le Corbusier took care of the construction of the Unites de Camping (5 basic and spartan holiday homes) on the same land, which then took place in 1956.
E1027 and the other buildings in the immediate vicinity are all in some way signed by Le Corbusier. He died on August 27, 1965, struck by an illness while swimming, as was his custom, in the beloved waters in front of E1027.
Over the years, Villa E1027, abandoned and looted, was reduced to a pile of deteriorated parts due to neglect, vandalism and the aggressive and corrosive action of the surrounding marine environment. In 1999, it was purchased by the Conservatoire du Littoral, the French government organization that deals with the conservation and management of coastal areas. In 2000, House E1027 became a historical monument. In the same year, to preserve its value over time, the heirs of Thomas Rebuttato donated the Etoile de Mer restaurant and the Unités De Camping to the Conservatoire du Littoral. They also created a protection association for the management of cultural activities on the entire site: the Cap Moderne association, which took care of the restoration of Villa E1027 and continues to take care of the entire area and its guided tours.
Visit to Villa E1027 and the entire area: French monuments booking site
Presentation of Cape Moderne activities: Cap Moderne site
Some ideas for learning more about Eileen Gray and E1027:
– Peter Adam’s biography “Eileen Gray: Her Life and Her Work” published by Thames & Hudson
– Francesco Maggio’s book “Eileen Gray. Graphic interpretations” published by Franco Angeli
– Mary McGuckian’s 2015 film “The Price of Desire”
Sheltered from the bites of the summer heat, on the ground floor, there is a bronze bust depicting Eilen Gray created by the Irish artist Vera Klute. She is there, on that land chosen with such passion, in her house designed and built with perseverance and dedication to enjoy the wonderful view that the place offers. A discreet presence almost hidden like her work for Villa E1027 for years in the shadow of the subsequent interventions of Le Corbusier.
After the visit of E1027 with great amazement in looking at the photographs of Stefania Scarpa I see the images of the bust of Eilen Gray. Stefania did not fully know the history of the house but she captured an important aspect of it by depicting what most visitors do not realize they see.