Strongly committed to promoting and passing on the remarkable architecture of the South of France, Architecture de Collection is inaugurating a new sector in September 2024: “Nice & French Riviera”.
Villa E1027, Eileen Gray & Jean Badovici, Roquebrune-Cap Martin © Manuel Bougot
Having been active in Marseille, Provence and the Var for more than 10 years, our agency (represented in the area by Noël Castinel) opened an office just a stone’s throw from the Old Port in 2021, before moving into Cellule 418 in the famous Cité Radieuse in 2024.
Attracted by the variety of modern and contemporary architecture throughout the French Riviera, the agency will be continuing its territorial expansion this autumn by opening a new office in Nice, with Charles Aliès, our new negotiator, at the helm.
Our team will be keen to help identify, document and pass on the remarkable modern and contemporary architecture that can be found throughout this sun-drenched region, which is particularly rich in history.
A new representative for the South region
© Valérie Ruperti
A specialist in exceptional properties, Charles Aliès has a master’s degree in international business. For several years, he managed a prestigious agency in the west of Paris.
A lover of art and architecture since childhood, he has now succeeded in combining these aspirations with his skills: attracted by the cultural ambition of Architecture de Collection and its fresh approach to real estate. Now based in Nice, Charles joins our team, to carry the colours of the agency and develop the project on the scale of this exceptional area.
Get in touch with him if you are planning to buy or sell a remarkable property on the Riviera !
The French Riviera, land of modern adventure
A holiday region par excellence, the French Riviera has attracted the elite and bourgeoisie since the 18th century. Its landscapes of mountains and sea, the beauty of its villages and its vernacular architecture have inspired the creations of the modern era, from the avant-garde to the great contemporary names. Luxury hotels and palaces, reception villas and opulent residences have been built along the coast and inland, to accommodate the growing number of winter visitors in search of the good life.
Le Pergola © Elisabeth Rossolin
Le Regina © Elisabeth Rossolin
Le Latitude 43 © Valérie Ruperti
Le Gloria Mansions © Elisabeth Rossolin
From the end of the 19th century onwards, the eclecticism of the Belle Epoque condensed the tastes of the international aristocracy who wintered between Cannes and Menton. This style was illustrated by buildings characterised by a profusion of decoration, such as the Hôtel Alhambra (Jules Sioly, 1900), with its neo-Moorish ornamentation, and the legendary Régina Palace (Sébastien-Marcel Biasini, 1896), which dominates the city of Nice.
Popular with a wealthy clientele, the luxury hotel programme continued to generate commissions right up until the inter-war period, notably the Latitude 43 (Georges-Henri Pingusson, 1932) in Saint-Tropez, a monumental reinforced concrete liner dominating the sea. Art Deco and its geometric decorative vocabulary then adorned the facades of villas and apartment blocks, such as Gloria Mansions (1934, Garabed Hovanian).
Cap Moderne in Roquebrune-Cap Martin, with the Villa E1027, Le Corbusier’s cabanon and the camping units © Manuel Bougot
Far from the overflowing splendour of seaside resorts, the Riviera saw the birth of unique and radical architectural experiments, inspired by the power of the landscape and the elements. In 1926, the Roquebrune-Cap Martin site became home to Villa E-1027, a manifesto of modern simplicity designed by Eileen Gray and Jean Badovici. This minimalist villa, clinging to the rock overlooking the waves, inspired Le Corbusier to design his own cabanon (1952) and camping units (1956), marking the culmination of his research on housing.
Villa Bloc © Laurent Kronental
The great names of modernism then left their mark on the region, such as Claude Parent with the villa André Bloc in Antibes (1961), which caused a scandal when it was delivered because of its radical architecture, or Oscar Niemeyer, who designed the curvaceous villa Brasilia (1968) in Saint-Jean-Cap Ferrat. Hungarian habitologist Antti Lovag designed several Bulles houses, the most famous of which is the Palais Bulles in Théoule-sur-Mer, bought by fashion designer Pierre Cardin.
The prestigious names on the contemporary scene continue this expressive modernity: Rudy Ricciotti delivered the Cocteau museum in Menton in 2011, and Jean Nouvel designed several private residences facing the Mediterranean, including the Villa Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and the Villa Maeterlinck…
Expanding our network of partners
Our increased presence on the Riviera will enable us to strengthen and extend our network of partners, so that we can develop even more initiatives to promote the value of our remarkable modern and contemporary domestic heritage.
Supporting member of the Eileen Gray Association. Etoile de mer. Le Corbusier, Architecture de Collection has also initiated a number of partnerships over the last few years, notably with the Maison Bernard Endowment Fund, which works to protect and perpetuate the architecture of Antti Lovag, as part of the exhibition organised by Genius Loci last June, and with the famous Villa Noailles in Hyères.
© Yves Gellie, Fond de dotation Maison Bernard
