Jean Cocteau’s Country Home Opens to the Public
PARIS— After five years of renovations, the house that Jean Cocteau bought with the French actor Jean Marais in 1947 in Milly-la-Forêt, about 30 miles south of Paris, is finally open to the public. Having lived there for the last 17 years of his life with his companion, Edouard Dermit, the writer and director worked on some of his greatest projects under its roof, including the film "Le Testament d’Orphée" and the poem "Le Requiem."
In his book of autobiographical sketches and reflections, "La Difficulté de l’Etre" ("The Difficulty of Being"), Cocteau described this house as a refuge: “It gives me an example of the absurd and wonderful stubbornness of plants. Here, I find memories of previous countrysides where I dreamed of Paris, just as later, in Paris, I dreamed of fleeing elsewhere. The sun and the water decorate the walls of my room with their false moving marble. Spring rejoices everywhere.” After extensive renovations, the property now offers a unique exhibition space as well as re-creations of the rooms in which Cocteau lived.
The ground floor serves as an introduction to Cocteau with an illustrated biography, video images of his self-portraits, drawings, illustrations, and various photographs of the artist in his house with Dermit and his friends. Also on this level, the grand salon has been kept intact, featuring Christian Bérard’s large-scale painting "Oedipe et le Sphinx Jouant aux Cartes" ("Oedipus and the Sphinx Playing Cards"), inspired by Cocteau’s play "La Machine Infernale," above the black leather sofa.
On the second floor, Cocteau’s study and bedroom have been re-created so accurately that it feels as if he had just gotten up and left the room. From wall coverings and picture frames to personal touches — boxes of pencils and a bulletin board cluttered with tacked-up photos — these rooms give a vivid sense of his daily life.
Nearby on the same floor are two small rooms with an eclectic assortment of original drawings by Proust, Chaplin, Satie, and Picasso. There are also two exhibition spaces. The first, devoted to temporary exhibits that will change on an annual basis, currently displays a chronological overview of Cocteau’s non-literary work, while the second presents portraits of the poet by artists such as Man Ray, Bernard Buffet, Modigliani, and Warhol.
The hall has been transformed into a projection room where the public can watch Cocteau’s films, including "La Belle et la Bête" (Beauty and the Beast)(1946), "Les Parents Terribles" (1948), and "Le Testament d’Orphée" (1960), in addition to various films made about Cocteau.
Outside, the sculpture garden still features one of the busts from the set of "La Belle et la Bête." And the pleasures of the countryside that drew Cocteau to this place can be found in the orchard and woods, where he used to stroll with his dog.
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