Manuel Bougot
Photographic perspectives
Roquebrune – Cap Martin, 1926
Architects : Eileen Gray & Jean Badovici
An emblematic achievement of the 20th century, Villa E-1027 was designed in 1926 by architect and designer Eileen Gray and her partner Jean Badovici. A total work of art of refined minimalism, combining the transatlantic imagination, Russian constructivism and modern simplicity, the villa quickly became a household name. Le Corbusier painted murals there between 1938 and 1939.
The building gradually fell into oblivion after the death of Jean Badovici. Despite being listed as a Historic Monument in 1975, its furnishings were dispersed, its condition deteriorated and the site was squatted. In 1999, the Conservatoire du Littoral and the town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin acquired the site. This marked the start of a long process of recognition and restoration, involving the DRAC and numerous public and private players.
From 2014, the Cap Moderne association will be responsible for protecting and maintaining the site, managing certain developments and works, and organising cultural events on the site.
Thanks to the work of the association (and the architects Claudia Devaux, Renaud Barrès, Arthur Rüegg and Burkhardt Rukschcio), by 2021 the site will be restored to its original beauty and its status as an icon of modern architecture.
Manuel Bougot
Manuel Bougot is an architecture and urban planning photographer based in Paris. Passionate about photography since childhood, he began his professional career in the worlds of fashion, theatre and cinema, and has taken many portraits of actors.
He turned to architecture and urban planning in 2009 with a major project on Le Corbusier’s buildings in India. His “Chandigarh” series has been exhibited in India (New Delhi, 2012), France (Rencontres d’Arles, 2015) and Wales (Cardiff International Festival of Photography, 2017). Since then, he has produced numerous reports on iconic modern architecture by Jean Prouvé, Le Corbusier and Renzo Piano.
Manuel Bougot is an active member of the “Eileen Gray – Etoile de Mer – Le Corbusier” association, working to safeguard and promote the “Cap Moderne” architectural site in Roquebrune-Cap Martin. He is represented in India by the Photoink New Delhi gallery.
