Cap moderne : Eileen Gray, Le Corbusier, architects by the sea

On the site of Cap Moderne on the Côte d'Azur, in a wild natural landscape, the Irish designer Eileen Gray and the architect Jean Badovici created Villa E-1027 : an icon of avant-garde architecture of the late 1920s. In time, it was joined by other buildings that reflected their creators' modern approach to coastal living : L'Étoile de Mer, the restaurant built by Thomas Rebutato, a plumber from Nice, and the Cabanon, designed by the celebrated architect Le Corbusier, who also created five 'Camping Units' for Rebutato.

With illustrations from the archives and new photography by François Delebecque complementing the text by Christine Desmoulins, this book highlights the fascinating human and architectural adventure that unfolded on the site between the 1920s and the early 1960s. The many flaps that lift to reveal photographs and text make for a lively reading experience : this is a chance to explore the different buildings and their gardens, tucked into this little corner of paradise clinging to the rocks.

Villa E-1027 was completely restored in 2021, under the auspices of the Association Cap-Moderne, led by Michael Likierman, on behalf of the Conservatoire du Littoral, the site's owner. The restoration was directed by a committee of architects and experts.