Luce Eekman (28 June 1933 – 2 February 2025) was a French architect and actress.

Life and career

Architectural career

Eekman attended the

École alsacienne The École alsacienne is a co-educational private school located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. The school was founded by a group of French Alsatians after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. It then became a model for reforming th ...

before earning a diploma from the

École Spéciale d'Architecture The École spéciale d'architecture (ÉSA; formerly École centrale d'architecture) is a private school for architecture at 254, boulevard Raspail in Paris, France. The diploma from the École spéciale d'architecture (DESA), recognized by the St ...

. While there, she received praise for her work surveying Thoronet Abbey. She received notoriety for her work restoring , a former cinema in Paris. In 1972, she was tasked by

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...

to construct a teahouse in a Japanese garden. In doing so, she constructed a cinema room that contained 175 seats. A plaque at the teahouse was affixed to the entrance of the cinema room honoring her and her co-architect François Debulois. In April 2011,

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (), also known as Paris 1 (or Paris I) and Panthéon-Sorbonne University (or, together with Sorbonne University and Sorbonne Nouvelle University, simply as the Sorbonne), is a Public university, public rese ...

student Aïda Menouer wrote a thesis on Eekman's work, titled ''La Pagode, de la salle de réception au cinéma d'art et d'essai''. Eekman's principal works included ''Le Diable des Lombards'' in

The Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. It spreads across parts of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd and 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements on the Rive Droit ...

, the apartments of Louis Malle and his brother , the ''Photogalerie'', and an apartment building on in the

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory"; named after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, ...

Acting

While at the École alsacienne, Eekman befriended future film director

Yannick Bellon Marie-Annick Bellon, usually known as Yannick Bellon, (6 April 1924 – 2 June 2019), was a French film director, editor and screenwriter. Initially known for her documentary film, documentary work, in 1972 she made her first feature film, ''Quelq ...

and appeared in his film '. She was close to the theatre troupe ''Les Théophiliens'', as well as

Roger Planchon Roger Planchon (; born 12 September 1931 in Saint-Chamond, Loire, died on 12 May 2009 in Paris), was a French playwright, director, and filmmaker. Biography Roger Planchon spent his childhood in the Ardèche, notably in Dornas. He found its ins ...

Théâtre National Populaire The (; "People's National Theater") is a theatre now at Villeurbanne, France. It was founded in 1920 by Firmin Gémier in Paris. Today, the TNP has a company of ten resident actors and the building is currently being completely renovated. His ...

. In 1975, she performed in the play ''Enluminures autour des minutes du procès de Gilles de Rais'' at the .

Personal life and death

Eekman was the daughter of Flemish painter Nicolas Eekman and Andrée Herrenschmidt. In her father's honor, she founded ''Le Sillon Nicolas Eekman''. The association published monographies on the painter and organized exhibits. One such exhibition was held by the . Luce Eekman died in Paris on 2 February 2025, at the age of 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eekman, Luce 1933 births 2025 deaths Architects from Paris French actresses École Spéciale d'Architecture alumni