Designed by self-taught French architect Jacques Couëlle in 1962, the Sculpture House in Cannes, France is one of five “landscape houses” that Couëlle created, as well as a grand example of the architecture-sculpture movement. Boasting natural, cave-like forms in order to blend in seamlessly with their surrounding environment, the structures have been heralded as beacons of the architecture-sculpture movement. Inside, some of the various arches and niches are frescoed by local artists, adding to the pleasing medley of media—as in the serene sitting room of the Sculpture House.
The natural slopes of the land dictated the different levels inside and the curves in the facades, while the sun dictated the locations of the windows and other openings. The rough white walls seem as if they were hewn from stone, and the irregular curved ceilings and arches create the sensation of living in a grotto or upscale cave. These organic shapes stood as a stark contrast to the angular modernism of the time, as Couëlle believed right angles and harsh lines “provoked human anxiety”.
Couëlle used an eclectic combination of stone, terra cotta, ceramics, wood, glass, iron, and copper as his materials and finishes
