Photography: Louis-Philippe Breydel

Each year Cardin hosts an eclectic festival of music and theatre which has become one of the major events of the Riviera outside of the Cannes Film Festival, and often holds parties and events against the backdrop of the festival for a plethora of actors, models and magazines. 

The visionary building, which was listed as a historic monument by the French Ministry of Culture (a rare accolade given its relatively young age), echoes the role Cardin has played at the forefront of fashion design. Having set up his own fashion house in 1950 at the tender age of 23, Cardin became famous for his geometric fusion of fashion and design. In 1970 he poured his passion into a new direction, and built the arts centre, L’Espace Pierre Cardin, on the site of the old Ambassadeurs by the Elysées in Paris. The centre has housed everything from artists’ exhibitions and fashion shows to sales of wine and inflatable boats in between. 

Cardin’s hope for the future of the Palais Bulles is that it will continue to serve as a destination to appreciate creativity and artistic expression. “Built through ideology and artistic conviction for the good of humanity, the Palais Bulles is by vocation an artistic foundation. I hope that for many years after my death it will stand as the witness and vibrant sign of civilisation.”

This feature is from the forthcoming 24 June issue of The Drum, which will be guest-edited by Publicis Groupe’s chief executive Maurice Lévy.

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