It seems to watch over the preserved Californie district, which overlooks the City of Festivals. The Pavillon de Flore owes its fame to Pablo Picasso, who owned it in the 1950s. Originally named Villa Fénelon, then Villa Californie, this immaculate building constructed in the 1920s conceals works by the artist behind its pristine façade.
Renovated in the late 1980s, this bourgeois residence was reborn amid its 10,000 m² of surrounding grounds, where the gardens perpetuate the soul of this legendary place, just a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean Sea. Built at a time when tourism was booming in Cannes, the residence—following the tradition of the elegant villas of the French Riviera—was originally intended as a winter retreat, at the initiative of Vicomte Fénelon.
Renamed Villa Californie, it was acquired in 1955 by the founder of Cubism, who established his studio on the ground floor of the three-story building. The villa stands on the hills of Cannes, in one of the city’s most sought-after neighborhoods.
Cannes Californie - 3 rooms with panoramic sea view and deep terrace - Secure residence with swimming pool
Cannes Californie panoramic sea view on high floor
Penthouse Cannes Basse Californie
CANNES CALIFORNIE - Magnificent apartment facing the sea
CANNES CALIFORNIE AREA PANORAMIC SEA VIEW
Canne Californie
CANNES - Bagatelle – A Jewel of Elegance at the Heart of Cannes
Cannes Californie
He painted La Baie de Cannes (The Bay of Cannes) there in 1958 and left the villa in 1961, when a building under construction obstructed his view of the sea.
Many of Pablo Picasso’s works from his time in Cannes were discovered in the house after his death. His granddaughter, Marina Picasso, who inherited the villa, breathed new life into the stone residence through extensive renovations carried out in 1987.
What now invites contemplation at the heart of this bourgeois property—renamed Pavillon de Flore by Marina Picasso—is the garden and its 10,000 m² of land, gently cascading down the hillsides of Cannes.
Pablo Picasso’s granddaughter’s dream of nature took shape under the watchful eye of landscape architect Jean Mus, who brought his philosophy and passion for Mediterranean species to the park. He created a veritable labyrinth of exotic plants, restoring vitality to this historic site.
Eucalyptus and lavender now perfume the heiress’s idyllic residence. Jean Mus introduced Mediterranean flora to the gates of the Fénelon Pavilion and revitalized the existing vegetation, giving the landscape a renewed identity.
Palm trees, cork oaks, and olive trees now blanket the grounds, alongside species from all corners of the globe, perfectly acclimatized to the schistose soil and the region’s mild climate.
Thus, alongside the original plantings, cycads, ferns, Japanese maples, citrus trees, and elephant ears complete this lush tableau—liberating the Pavillon Fénelon from its past through the imposing beauty of its exteriors, once overlooked by the maestro Picasso himself, who was not particularly enamored with this abundance of greenery.
Historic villa on the French Riviera