Lacoste - Marquis de Sade, Pierre Cardin and the Savannah College of Art and Design

The village of Lacoste sits perched on a hill looking north and east into the Luberon valley.  On a clear day you can see Mount Ventoux and all the way to Apt.  You can walk through its narrow cobblestone streets from the bottom and climb up to the chateau.  In the summer you can stop at one of the two cafés and visit the museum in the Chateau.

The evolution of this Provencal village, full of history, is very interesting. There are walls and vestiges dating back to prehistoric and Latin times within the confines of the village.  Roman artifacts have been found in the local quarry. The "castrum de Costae", the first village, is first noted in 1038.   The population varied over the times but it decreased because of the plague and other problems of the times. An act was signed in 1533 that brought Vaudois families to repopulate Lacoste.  The Vaudois, a protestant sect from the northern valleys, remained in the area until once again they were persecuted for their religion.  The village was mostly destroyed but little by little parts were reconstructed and the streets were repopulated during the beginning of the 17th century. The chateau that dates back to the 11th century was reoccupied in the 16th century by several families including the family of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade - the Marquis de Sade. 

Marquis de Sade and the Chateau

The Marquis de Sade had many titles: aristocrat,  writer, philosopher and politician among others.  He had ties to Lacoste and its chateau because it was owned by members of his family. During his life, the Marquis de Sade spent several years on separate occasions at the chateau.   He used the chateau as a refuge and would often stay there when he needed to avoid going to prison. A lover of theater, he had a auditorium constructed in the chateau for 120 spectators. 

The Marquis de Sade had an "attachment extraordinaire" for the chateau in Lacoste.  At the end of the revolution, the chateau having been pillaged, there was not much left of the chateau.  The ruins were sold and passed through the hands of several owners before it was bought by Pierre Cardin in 2001.

Artwork in the chateau

  

Pierre Cardin and the village

The village of Lacoste had suffered greatly over the years.  The stacked stone houses were lacking roofs and were falling apart. Pierre Cardin, having a very large budget, purchased and renovated many houses and structures that were in varying states of disrepair. The village changed into a showcase and warehouse for Pierre Cardin's belongings. There are still people who live in the village, but the buildings belonging to Pierre Cardin remain empty.  Today, the chateau houses a wonderful museum of contemporary art and Pierre Cardin's furniture collection.  You can visit the rooms of the Marquis de Sade and wander through the gardens and ruins. Pierre Cardin founded the summer "festival de musique et de théâtre" in the former quarries of Lacoste.

SCAD - Savannah College of Art and Design

 The village has always had its roots in art, the Marquis de Sade, artists Réné Char, Ernst or Man Ray.  The Lacoste School of the Arts was founded in 1970.  Later,  Sarah Lawrence College, the Cleveland Institute of Art and Bard College partnered with the Lacoste School of the Arts before it was eventually purchased by SCAD.  

It was cold walking through the streets

As a tourist in the village you can walk through the beautifully renovated cobblestone streets of the SCAD campus. The campus is part of the upper village and where the building were once houses they are now studios, dormitories and classrooms. You can imagine yourself a student working in the art studios tucked into the rock of  the village.  If you are lucky, you can attend the open house that they have at the end of the session.  We were able to do this several times and it was fascinating to see the students with their work and be able to chat with them as well.  Sophia and I were at the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue and students handed us a flyer for the open house.  Unfortunately we read it incorrectly and showed up on the wrong date and missed the whole event.  Instead we walked through the streets and up to the chateau in the cold. 

We won't miss it next time!

Le Mount Ventoux and the rooftops of Lacoste

From Roman ruins, chateau of a famous Marquis (even if he is known for nefarious reasons), French designer to American art school, Lacoste is a village that is alive with art and culture.  In the winter you might have to look a little harder but it is there just the same.  The village is wonderful in the summer when it blossoms like a flower and the cicadas sing in the hot sun.