In the Provençal-style dining room, decorated by MADELEINE
CASTAING, a traditional rattan dining table and chairs, an
elaborate rustic sideboard and woven rattan plant stand.144 VOGUELIVING.COM.AU
« “We see directly opposite us the island of Antibes,” he intones.
“Then Cannes, then Nice. And on our right is Villefranche.” At
times he remains silent, letting the camera slowly pan a room,
allowing his artistry to speak for itself.
Over the years, la villa tatouée has hosted luminaries of
a markedly cerebral ilk, the likes of Picasso, Dietrich, Garbo. Yet
its very integrity means it remains a humble retreat. It’s more than
a house; it’s a manifesto, an inhabitable declaration of the ability
of art to transform a space and to transcend the tribulations of
the everyday. Cocteau began to tattoo the villa only six years
after the end of World War II, a cataclysm that saw 60 million
people perish in the trenches, in the Holocaust death camps,
at Hiroshima. In painting the villa, Cocteau narrates: “We have
tried to vanquish the spirit of destruction that has dominated our
era. We have decorated surfaces that men dream of destroying.”
In order to avoid that, la villa tatouée is listed as a Monument
Historique. Vive la France. VL
Villa Santo Sospir (‘villa tatouée’) is open for visits throughout the year, by appointment;
visit villasantosospir.fr.