Delivered to her original owners in 1912, the waterfront villa is located within walking distance from the Belles Rives Hotel, one of the most iconic on the Riviera and where water skiing was invented. Within a few minutes, you can get to La Pinede in Juan Les Pins, located close to the world-famous Jazz Festival.
Picasso was one of the most prominent figures to install his atelier in the villa. To thank his hosts he painted the walls of the salons and bedrooms, which wasn’t to the original owner’s taste. An interior designer was later contracted to remove the paintings, which can be seen in the gallery below.
The rich history of the Villa La Vigie is closely linked to the railroad magnate Frank Jay Gould. In 1925, the American billionaire acquired the Villa and settled there with his wife, Florence Lacaze, an American of French origins. The villa surely turn heads, with her medical tower and her neogothic style, trendy then and now. The villa quickly became, under the impulsion of Florence Gould, an artistic salon where one could find Paul Morand, André Gide, Jean Cocteau as well as artists and musicians, such as Mistinguett and Maurice Chevalier. The life of Madame was constantly surrounded by artists, as well as opportunistic ones searching for free accommodation. The villa was also rented to painters for their inspiration, such as Jean Gabriel Domergue, who used it until he had his villa built in Cannes. Gould played a major role in the creation of the French Riviera legend, having world-famous guests at the Villa including the Windsor,
F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Murphy.
The Villa La Vigie is a truly unique villa for sale in the South of France. Ideally located on the waterfront of the Cap d’Antibes with a private dock and a direct access to the water, step into a true heaven on earth.
