Villa La Californie, originally Villa Fénelon and now called Pavillon de Flore, is a

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

at 22 Coste Belle Avenue in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, France. It is located in the quarter of La Californie, from which the villa took its name. The villa was built in 1920 and served as the residence of artist

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

from 1955 to 1961.

History

Eugène Tripet (1816–1896), consul of France in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, moved to Cannes in 1848 with his wife Alexandra Feodorovna Skrypitzine (1818–1895), a wealthy Russian heiress and friend of

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

. He built the "Villa Alexandra" on the heights of the city, overlooking the Cape of the

Croisette The Promenade de la Croisette (), or Boulevard de la Croisette, is a prominent road in Cannes, France. It stretches along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and is about 2 km long. The Croisette is known for the Palais des Festivals et des ...

facing the

Lérins Islands The Lérins Islands (in , ) are a group of five Mediterranean islands off the French Riviera, in Cannes. The two largest islands in this group are Île Sainte-Marguerite and Île Saint-Honorat. The smaller Îlot Saint-Ferréol, Îlot de la ...

. That home was quickly surrounded by the residences of many members of the Russian aristocracy who vacationed in Cannes, and the area came to be nicknamed "Little Russia". In 1903, Tripet's son-in-law, General vicomte Alphonse de Salignac-Fénelon, acquired the northern part of the garden of Tripet's property and commissioned a winter residence project from architect Henri Picquart. In 1920, the project was completed and the house was named "Villa Fénelon".

, who had been living in the quarter of La Californie since the 1940s, bought the villa in 1955 and moved there with

Jacqueline Roque Jacqueline Picasso or Jacqueline Roque (24 February 1926 – 15 October 1986) was the muse and second wife of Pablo Picasso. Their marriage lasted 12 years until his death, during which time he created over 400 portraits of her, more than any of ...

. It is from this workshop that he painted the Bay of Cannes in 1958, where he represents the seascape strangled by the urban environment. In 1961, with the construction of a new building obstructing the sea view, Picasso decided to look for another home. He left the villa in Cannes and moved to

Mougins Mougins (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southeastern France. It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the arrondissement of Grasse. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Ca ...

, where he spent his last years. During the inventory of Picasso's estate, many previously unknown works were found in the villa and formed part of the original collection of the national museum which bears his name. His granddaughter, Marina Picasso, inherited the villa and finished restoration work in 1987. She renamed the villa "Pavillon de Flore". In 2015, she put the villa up for sale.

Cultural

The house is a private property, registered in 2001 in the ' in the region

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

as part of the seaside resort of Cannes ('). On August 11, 2020, Marina Picasso's son Florian performed a music and light show on the property. Over 25 people worked for four months on the presentation. Florian said of the performance, "Turning the entire house into a moving piece of art felt like the right way to pay tribute to what this place represents and the history it has."

References

*"Heritage - Souvenir and celebrities - Aristocrats and dignitaries" cannes.com rchive*One of the architects of the establishment of Champagne wines Moët et Chandon *"A beautiful villa eclectic style, a famous painter and a hidden treasure," Camille Mondon, fragments-cannes.com rchive*"Notice n o IA06000165" rchive basis Merimee, French Ministry of Culture *Didier Gayraud, ''Beautiful homes in Riviera 1835-1930'', p. 43, Editions Giletta, Nice, 2005 () {{Pablo Picasso, state=collapsed Pablo Picasso La Californie Buildings and structures in Cannes Houses completed in 1920

History

Cultural

See also

References