“Walls should not be dressed; they should be drawn on.”

Fearing idleness, Jean Cocteau asked the owner for permission to draw Apollo’s head in charcoal above the living-room fireplace. This gesture marked the beginning of his prolific intervention at Villa Santo Sospir, where every wall, door, and staircase became a canvas for sketches inspired by Greek mythology and scenes of the French Riviera.

Frescoes, tapestries, and mosaics

Jean Cocteau’s indelible mark is visible in every room of the house. Not a single wall remains blank, from the entrance hall to the living room, bedrooms, and corridors.

The leafy patio is adorned with floor and wall mosaics, offering a prelude to the villa’s artistic universe.

In the dining room, a tapestry depicting Judith and Holofernes presides over the wooden table, which welcomes guests while opening onto the Mediterranean through a large window.

The living room features a spectacular fresco in which two sun priests flank the original Apollo.

No surface escaped the artist’s attention. Even furniture bears the imprint of his insatiable creativity, notably in the room known as the Bacchantes’ initiation chamber, as do everyday objects such as a simple terracotta plate.

Villa Santo Sospir: from artists’ refuge to venue for ephemeral events

Like many villas marked by the artistic effervescence of the 1950s, Villa Santo Sospir became a private haven for celebrities once Jean Cocteau etched his first drawings onto its walls.

It notably hosted Alain Delon and Romy Schneider in search of seclusion, as well as numerous other figures, including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Prince Rainier III, and Charlie Chaplin.

A prestigious destiny for this residence hidden along the rugged coastline of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, it continues to spark visitors’ curiosity today.

Open for visits by appointment to discover Jean Cocteau’s extraordinary wall decorations, the villa has also been transformed into an exclusive reception venue. It now hosts exhibitions and conferences dedicated to Cocteau’s work and offers its exceptional Mediterranean setting for cocktail receptions, elegant dinners, and pop-up events.

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