DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France

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