Upon the death of her parents, journalist and writer Brigitte Benkemoun inherits their home: a modernist villa with organic lines, designed in the early 1970s by architect Émile Sala.
In The Villa, released on May 14 by Éditions Stock, she traces the unique history of this place and the memory of her parents.
“Why this madness, this experimental house, these senseless volumes, the curved concrete, the gigantic metal-tiled fireplace. […]”
Built in 1974 by architect Émile Sala for Simone and Pierre Benkemoun after their return from Algeria, just minutes from the center of Arles, this remarkable architecture—designed to welcome a family—boasts a sculptural silhouette with organic lines, where modernism meets the warmth of Mediterranean imagination and the charm of Provençal regionalism.
Its immaculate façade blends curves and bold angles within a vast garden. With its flat roof and generous outdoor spaces, it seamlessly integrates into the Mediterranean environment and climate. For this project, the architect collaborated with interior decorator Robert Heams, ceramicist Guy Bareff, and designer and artist Max Sauze, who created the sculptural metal-leaf fireplace. From this collaboration emerged an exceptional living space—a total work of art in perfect harmony with its site and the lifestyle of its patrons.
Designated as a 20th-Century Heritage site, the villa hosted the exhibition “1974 – Past, Present, Future” in 2024 to mark its 50th anniversary, with our agency, Architecture de Collection, as a partner. Today, Brigitte Benkemoun immortalizes and shares its story.
A tribute to an extraordinary legacy, available in bookstores!
Brigitte Benkemoun is a journalist and writer. She is the author of The Little Girl in the photograph (2012), Albert the Magnificent (2016), I Am Dora Maar’s Notebook (translated into several languages, 2019), and Her Life for Picasso (2022).
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