Origin and history
Villa E-1027, or Seafront House, is an icon of the modernist architecture of the 1930s, designed by architect-enemblier Eileen Gray in collaboration with Jean Badovici, architect and art critic. Built between 1926 and 1929 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (Alpes-Maritimes), it illustrates the five points of a new architecture of Le Corbusier, while integrating a more humane and intimate approach. His name, E-1027, codes the initials of his creators: E for Eileen, 10 (J, 10th letter) for John, 2 (B) and 7 (G). The villa, accessible only by the customs trail, is distinguished by its stilts, roof terrace, bay windows and custom-designed furniture, combining modern materials such as aluminum or fibro cement.
The project was born out of the meeting between Gray and Badovici in the early 1920s, when the latter, director of the living architecture magazine L The land, acquired by Badovici, welcomes a house thought as a manifesto against cold functionalism of the time, as expressed in their text From Eclectism to Doubt (1929). The interiors, organized around a central living-room block, incorporate retractable partitions, an atrium, and humorous inscriptions on the walls ("Enter slowly", "Do not laugh"). Gray, however, will reside there only a short time, preferring to build his own house, Tempe a Pailla, in Menton from 1932.
The villa became a place of artistic tension when Le Corbusier, friend of Badovici, painted eight murals in 1938-1939, five of which remained. Gray, considering these works a rape of his approach, asks for their withdrawal, without success. These frescoes, damaged during the Second World War, contribute paradoxically to the preservation of the site: they attract the attention of the authorities during its degradation in the 1990s. Ranked a historic monument in 2000, the villa is acquired by the Conservatoire du littoral and restored in two phases (2007-2013, then 2014-2021), regaining its original state with reconstituted furniture.
The history of the villa after Badovici (died 1956) is marked by periods of abandonment. Sold in 1960 to Marie-Louise Schelbert and then in 1974 to doctor Peter Kaegi, it suffered major deterioration: furniture was sold at auction in 1991, and squatters damaged in 1998. Its restoration, initially controversial for technical errors (rust, cracks), is finally carried out by the association Cap Moderne and the architect Claudia Devaux, with the expertise of Renaud Barrès and Burkhardt Rukschcio. The site, now managed by the National Monuments Centre, has received several awards, including the Europa Nostra 2022 Prize.
Villa E-1027 embodies the debates of modernism between radical functionalism and human comfort, as well as the challenges of preserving the 20th century heritage. Its furniture, frescoes and architecture make it a unique testimony of the avant-gardes of the 1930s, while its exemplary restoration has made it an international model. The site, open to the public, also includes the Cabanon de Le Corbusier and the Star of the Sea, two other monuments related to its history.
