Founded in 1666 by Louis XIV, the Académie de France in Rome is a French establishment located since 1803 in the Villa Medici, a 16th century villa century surrounded by a seven-hectare park and located on Mount Pincio, in the heart of Rome.
A national public institution under the Ministry of Culture, the Académie de France in Rome – Villa Médicis today fulfills three complementary missions: to welcome high-level artists, creators, and art historians in residence for long stays of one year or shorter stays; to establish a cultural and artistic program that integrates all fields of arts and creation and is aimed at a wide audience; to conserve, restore, study and make known to the public its built and landscape heritage as well as its collections.
In spring 2023, India Mahdavi will re-enchant the Villa Medici
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India Mahdavi , born on in Tehran, Iran , is a French architect and designer of Iranian-Egyptian origin. |
A graduate in architecture (DPLG), industrial design ( Cooper Union , New York), graphic design (School of Visual Arts, New York) and furniture (Parsons The New School for Design, New York), she made her professional debut with the decorator Christian Liaigre, of whom she became the artistic director from 1990 to 1997.
Since the beginning of her career in the 1990s, she has developed through her interior design projects a style associated with a certain vision of happiness and color, which she has largely contributed to re-staging. She has worked with Maja Hoffmann, the Beaumarly group, Valentino, Ladurée , the Société des bains de mer de Monaco, Petite Friture, but also Alber Elbaz and Adel Abdessemed. She has designed and drawn private residences all over the world (Paris, London , New York, Siwa, Egypt, Sydney), but also hotels, restaurants and boutiques. Her objects, starting with the Bishop, are among the icons of contemporary decorative art.
In 1999, she opened her own design studio in Paris. In 2003, she launched her first furniture collection and inaugurated her showroom at 3 rue Las-Cases. In 2012, she opened her boutique at 19 rue Las-Cases, a space dedicated to promoting a range of artisanal know-how and ancestral techniques as well as a signature color chart.
Alaena selected as cosmetic partner of the Villa Medici
Invited by the French Academy in Rome, India Mahdavi worked in 6 historic bedrooms and 2 bathrooms of the Villa Medici. A year later, in spring 2024, our Bathroom Collection composed of 3 essential products was selected as the cosmetic partner of the Villa Medici. The Body & Hair Wash , the Conditioner and the Body Lotion offer a ritual certified organic and produced in the Southwest of France.
The Villa Medici has opened some of its rooms to the public. Home to the French Academy in Rome, the Villa Medici is primarily a cultural institution whose life revolves around its artists in residence and numerous artistic and cultural events: conferences, concerts, festivals, and exhibitions. However, the Villa Medici offers the possibility of welcoming guests according to specific accommodation criteria .
Historic rooms
The historic Galileo and Debussy rooms are the former apartments of the Medici family. These rooms feature Renaissance painted decor, Mannerist works by Jacopo Zucchi and his studio, and walls and furniture designed by Balthus in the 1960s. With panoramic views of the city of Rome or the gardens of the Villa Medici, these comfortable rooms measure approximately 70 m² and feature a double bed and a bathroom with a bathtub.
Classic rooms
The Classic Rooms, also known as "Gateway Rooms," are former residence apartments accessed by crossing a wooden walkway. They overlook the gardens of the Villa Medici and the Convent of the Trinity dei Monti. These comfortable mini-apartments, approximately 40 m², feature a living room, a bathroom with a shower, and a loft with a double bed.
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