Jean Cocteau’s House

“It’s as if the house was expecting me”. Jean Cocteau first came across this understated house, tucked away down a pathway in the heart of Milly-la-Forêt, in 1947 when he visited with fellow actor Jean Marais – and it was love at first sight. The Louis XIII building is a former outbuilding of Château de la Bonde, which was owned by Admiral of France Louis Malet de Graville in the 15th century. With its Louis XIII-style exterior and two hectares of gardens surrounded by the irrigation channels and moats of the neighbouring château, the charming setting was a haven of peace for Cocteau – who directed the 1946 film Beauty and the Beast and wrote Les Enfants Terribles – who needed time to rest and relax away from prying eyes and the hustle and bustle of Paris. Cocteau spent the last 17 years of his life here, until he passed away in 1963. He is laid to rest in the Saint-Blaise-des-Simples chapel nearby, alongside his final companion.

A historic house museum

As you walk through the different rooms – including the living room, office and bedroom, all in their original condition and fully furnished and decorated by Cocteau himself – you’ll find yourself immersed in the mythological and Baroque tendencies so characteristic of his work. There are also more than 90 pieces of his artwork on show, along with several portraits of the man himself painted and sketched by his friends – including Modigliani, Picasso, Buffet and Jacques-Emile Blanche– that have been contributed to the exhibition by the Centre Pompidou.