Built in 1930 on a hilltop in Le Pradet, near Toulon, Villa de Mandrot – also known as L’Artaude – is a Le Corbusier gem that blends modernism with Mediterranean vernacular tradition. Designed as a holiday residence for Hélène de Mandrot, a prominent patron of the arts and a key figure in Parisian avant-garde circles, the property sits on a plot bursting with pine, lavender, cypress and lemon trees. It is now on the market through Architecture de Collection, listed for €2.3 million.
De Mandrot asked Le Corbusier to design a simple holiday home with ‘two bedrooms, four extra beds and a garden’. The result spans 200 square metres across two levels in an L-shaped plan. The ground floor is anchored by a living room with a fireplace that opens onto the rear garden, alongside a kitchen and dining area. The sleeping quarters include a master bedroom with an en-suite and a second space that can serve as a bedroom or office. The garden level – originally the caretaker’s quarters – covers 80 square metres and now houses a workshop, an open kitchen and a shower room.
Originally, the terrace was framed by two monumental sculptures by modernist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz – Le Chant des Voyelles (1931) and Nu Couché à la Guitare (1928) – though these have since disappeared.
Le Corbusier’s philosophy – and the branch of modernism that he fathered – encompassed the integration of light and air as a key tenet. The villa is perched on a hill with a southern orientation that ensures sunlight throughout the day. The shaded north façade, meanwhile, remains cool, reflecting a thoughtful response to the Mediterranean climate.
Villa de Mandrot, which has been listed as a Historic Monument, represents the intersection of two currents of modernism. On one hand, it reflects the purist, standardised, industrial aesthetic of Le Corbusier’s ‘machine for living’, akin to Villa Savoye and comparable modernist works such as Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027. On the other hand, the Provence property demonstrates a dialogue between the International Style and Provençal culture, embracing local materials and landscape.
Le Corbusier anchored the house in its setting through the use of rubble and Var stone, while elements such as a grand staircase leading to the garden highlight the surrounding nature. The terrace, windbreak wall and cabin echo the Mediterranean patio. In 1931, the architect called the project ‘stunning, new, strong, solid, splendidly incorporated into the landscape’.
Villa de Mandrot is a compelling example of modernist ideals being adapted to local context without losing their formal clarity. A perfect blend of Le Corbusier’s standardised design principles and Mediterranean materials, climate awareness and landscape sensitivity, it is an enduring symbol of 20th-century architectural ingenuity.