Wall Street Journal du 3 décembre 2015

In Provence, the castle’s Picasso murals are classified as historic monuments by the government.

Château de Castille, a castle in Southern France with Picassos etched on its walls, is going on the market for the first time in decades. It is seeking roughly $9.66 million.

The seven-bedroom stone castle was purchased in 1950 by the late Douglas Cooper, an art collector and friend of Picasso, according to Alexander Kraft, chairman and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty France. The famed artist had five of his drawings—including nudes and bullfighting imagery—sandblasted onto walls at the castle, finishing the project in 1963, Mr. Kraft said. The murals, located on a covered outdoor loggia, and other parts of the castle are now classified as historic monuments by the French government, so they can’t be removed or demolished, Mr. Kraft said.

Located in Provence near the town of Uzès, about a 7-hour drive from Paris, the castle was originally built in the 1300s but embellishments were added around 1790. On roughly 5 acres, it has about 6,000 square feet of living space, including two dining rooms and several kitchens. While the castle “definitely needs some updating,” Mr. Kraft said, “structurally it’s quite sound.”

Art historian and Picasso biographer John Richardson, who lived with Mr. Cooper at the Château de Castille for years, said the artist often attended bullfights in the area and was a frequent visitor. “We’d have lunch with Picasso and go to the bullfight together,” Mr. Richardson said.

Picasso installed the drawings after Mr. Cooper expressed admiration for similar murals in Barcelona, Mr. Richardson said.

The castle is owned by the family of Nicolas de Bykhovetz, according to his daughter, Nathalie Benoit. She said the family is selling because now that her parents have died, they don’t use it as much. “We all feel sad, but we have to be reasonable,” she said.

Uzès Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing. 

By Candace Taylor
 

Sotheby's International Realty France & Monaco, your expert in luxury homes, chalets and properties for sale in France