When an artist looks for inspiration, with all his senses alert he lets himself be guided by his emotions. After leaving his native Switzerland to travel the world, Muggiasca sought in vain a piece of land that could persuade him to settle. When. he crossed the dense, wild forest on one of the hillsides in Gassin, however, he felt himself transported by signs that could not lead him astray: the yellow mimosas along the rutted road, the blue-tinted eucalyptus bordering the land, the unique light that, for one hundred years, had inspired so many masterpieces, the sky so blue and so clear in that light.
Fascinated by color, Muggiasca has always painted large flat surfaces from which crosses, eggs, and arrows, primitive forms to which he is viscerally attached, emerge with expressive clarity. With the close collaboration of the architect François Vieillecroze, he designed his house as a work of art. He gave free rein to his imagination as he reconciled his desire for modernity, his attachment to wood, and his love of intense, warm colors-trulv the dream of an artist. Thus, a house of striking originality reflecting the full measure of his aspirations took shape.
Inspired by his travels in Mexico, Muggiasca maintained his taste for simple structures and unfinished materials, at the same time creating the large space typical of artists\' studios. From the entrance, a long, high-ceilinged hall with walls painted in a brilliant yellow (his preferred color) transports the visitor into the universe of the owner. The artist’s state of mind is boldly announced! In an act of inspiration, he employed the high walls as so many outsized supporting pieces, upon which he could express his passion for color. He took pleasure in making yellow, orange, and fuchsia dance on a background of wood tinted lightly with a sandy beige stain, on walls coated for the most part with this same beige, and, finally, on the polished gray concrete floor. Neutral colors thus become illuminated by the blaze of these three vivid colors, which emit their warm breath throughout the house. The artist’s wife shares this same inspiration, and personally dyed the fabrics to perfectly match the decor.

There are few doors here; instead, spaces are left substa.ntially open.. Two mezzanines protected by guardrails hewn from tree trunks form pendants at each end of the immense living room. The terrace, designed with an eye te, unit), plays on the saine opposition of forets and colons: the gags between the boards that cuver it allow stunning plays of light. Litre imaginary paint-brushes, the rays of the sun draw short-lived, contorted sketches on the long yellow pillars and the Ovide table made of fuchsia-colored concrete. Close to the house, cactuses highlight a pervasive South American influence, painting the way toward a waterfall flowing mellifluously into an egg-shaped swiniming pool.
This house, a three-dimensional artwork of
exquisite stylistic cohesiveness, showcases
Muggiasca\'s talent for composition and colon All that\'s left is for the Midi suri to add ils light and intensity, playing with shadows through the course of the day.