DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France
DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France
DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France
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The site intones its prerogatives – no structure should abut the covered market, a remarkable<br />
nineteenth-‐century edifice. By keeping this area free of all construction from the vantage point<br />
of the pe<strong>de</strong>strian as well as at the street level, by creating a parvis and a gar<strong>de</strong>n on this si<strong>de</strong> of<br />
the site, the Musée Jean Cocteau – Collection Séverin Wun<strong>de</strong>rman works within its context,<br />
showcases Menton’s turn-‐of-‐the-‐century seafront architecture and holds true to its motto, “My<br />
Town is a Gar<strong>de</strong>n”.<br />
Located opposite the <strong>Maison</strong> Trenca, the museum will not compete with, or create any<br />
impediment to, the seafront vista. Instead, it will offer a unique reference point and<br />
complementary narrative, hearkening to the original and elegant architecture having ma<strong>de</strong><br />
Menton’s reputation, a felicitous combination of key stylistic features of the gol<strong>de</strong>n age around<br />
1900. The museum’s roof will paint an allegorical picture, its lines visible by day as well as by<br />
night.<br />
© Lisa Ricciotti<br />
“There is nothing more vulgar than a work which sets out to prove something; acting without<br />
proof requires a leap of faith.” (Jean Cocteau)<br />
Must everything be exp<strong>la</strong>ined? The full romantic i<strong>de</strong>alism of the building must be appreciated; it<br />
is where it is because it could not possibly be anywhere else. It has found its proper p<strong>la</strong>ce in the<br />
same way as the covered market asserts its domain. It is a missing piece of the urban puzzle<br />
giving part of a district a new lease on life, providing an i<strong>de</strong>al fit with the <strong>la</strong>ndscape in a space<br />
once just an embankment on the sea that is now subsumed within the town.<br />
“Watch out for those already drowning who would attempt to bring you down along with them.”<br />
(Jean Cocteau)<br />
Deciding to build on this site against all odds, over the un<strong>de</strong>rground parking garage and<br />
opposite the market, required that we opt for the easiest solution to a certain extent,<br />
<strong>de</strong>monstrating more than the usual obedience to dictates.<br />
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