The new exhibition "Eileen Gray, an Architecture of the Intimate", co-produced with the Georges Pompidou Centre, was inaugurated on 20 June by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and enjoyed great success. There was a 20% increase in the number of visitors over 2016, partly thanks to the new reception and parking facilities at Cabbé station.

The restoration programme on the Le Corbusier buildings (the Cabanon, the workshop hut, the holiday cabins and the Etoile de Mer) has now been completed: the restored murals and façades have been much admired by visitors. We have also completed the structural work on Villa E-1027.

The terrace in front of the villa having now been cleared and restored to its original 1929 state, we have been able to use this area to hold brunches in spring and autumn and dinners in summer. The most spectacular changes, however, are those carried out within the villa itself. The work on the decoration and on the fixed items of furniture has enabled us to bring out more clearly Eileen Gray's decorative and architectural genius.

Today, after three years, we can be proud of our achievement: we have restored the site and created a reception and exhibition area as well as a car park at the railway station. So far we have committed over 3 million euros to the work, 50% from public subsidies (DRAC, region, department and Conservatoire) and 50% from private sponsors. A big thank you to both our public and private supporters !

One million euros remain to be raised, of which 500,000€ from sponsors, to terminate the layout, decoration and furnishing of E-1027, and 250,000€ to facilitate access to the site for the disabled.

With a view to safeguarding the long-term future of the site, we have signed an agreement with the National Monuments Centre, which will take over day-to-day management from April 2018. This will enable us to focus the Cap Moderne Association's energies and resources on our restoration projects and on organizing cultural events at the site, in partnership with the Eileen Gray-Etoile de Mer-Le Corbusier Association.

The site is due to re-open on 3 April 2018, following a programme of tours for schoolchildren in March. In the spring, E-1027 will hold fund-raising events, including a performance by violinist Maxim Vengerov, and the sale of a unique Aram table.

In June 2018 we shall also be holding an exhibition of the works of Irish sculptor Eilis O'Connell on the terraces of E-1027, in conjunction with the Art'Bre exhibition organized by Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. For the latter exhibition, we have commissioned a bust of Eileen Gray from another Irish sculptor, Vera Klute. This work will be unveiled by HSH Prince Albert in September 2018. During the summer we intend to welcome our first artist in residence and to hold a series of evening concerts.

Please help us bring our mission to a successful conclusion.

We wish you a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Michael Likierman

President of Cap Moderne

On Sunday 17 September Cap Moderne and its team received over 300 visitors in a single day. Owing to the extremely fragile nature of the site, some strict rules had to be enforced and groups were limited to 20 persons at a time. This allowed the privileged few to enjoy a truly intimate experience of the place.

People of all sorts - lovers of architecture or the simply curious, locals, as well as visitors from Switzerland or China - turned up to discover this magical place nestling on the slopes of Cap Martin and wide open to the Mediterranean horizon. Each of them had their reasons to come and explore the site, to observe the sheer power of the architecture, the stunning landscape, the charm of the gardens, and to breathe in the same atmosphere as those who created this extraordinary ensemble of buildings.

Eileen Gray was there, Thomas Rebutato busied himself in his bistro and Le Corbusier was at work in his Cabanon.

Our tours were so popular again this year that we were regretfully obliged to turn some people away. 

The request for Le Corbusier’s work to be included on the Unesco List of World Heritage Sites, submitted in France by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Le Corbusier Foundation, had the support of seven countries (Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland) and seventeen sites around the world in three different continents. At Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Le Corbusier’s Cabanon, adjoining Villa E-1027 and the Etoile de Mer on the Cap Moderne site, now the property of the Conservatoire du littoral, is one of the French sites listed. It should be noted that, in addition to the Cabanon, the site now also includes the Holiday Cottages as well as numerous paintings by the architect/artist.