an investment of 114 million euros

In Mougins, the Château de Vie will undergo an artistic transformation driven by the will of its current owner, Rayo Withanage. An investment of approximately 114 million euros announced on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso.

The current owner of the ultimate home of Pablo Picasso, the master of Cubism, sketch of new ambitions for the Château de Vieformerly known as Mas Notre-Dame-de-Vie.

This property located in Mougins hosted Picasso and his wife Jacqueline Roque. Purchased in 1961 by the artist, it was quickly called by the Spaniard “l‘den of the Minotaur’, offering some 800 square meters and an adjoining chapel.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Picasso, who died on April 8, 1973, the current owner of the premises, Rayo Withanage, made it known by press release mentioning a “immediate launch”, that he wanted to turn this place into a “global center for art production with an investment of £100m”.

A future that suggests that of the “major artists and institutions from around the world” will be required to collaborate with this new art center.

We invite the most iconic artists and creative institutions around the world to see the world as Picasso saw it, to work in his studio, and to consider the influence of his work.

Rayo Withanage, owner of Château de Vie

Rayo Withanage wants to put artists in residence there so that their work can be sold to partly finance charities.

This Château de Vie is currently owned by Rayo Withanage, an entrepreneur and philanthropist from New Zealand. He manages various companies located in Southeast Asia and specialized in renewable energies and sustainable development. In Borneo or Brunei in particular.

Rayo Withanage acquired the Château de Vie at auction in 2017 for the sum of 20 million euros. At the time it was the high court of Grasse which had taken charge of the auctions, putting an end to years of real estate developments around this Mougins residence.