Arnaga: a work crafted by two masters

The exhibition "Arnaga, a work sculpted by two Masters" highlights the architecture of the Villa Arnaga and the creative dialogue between Edmond Rostand and the architect Albert Tournaire.

The documents presented, often original, reveal the poet's active role in the design of his home and the rigor of the architectural work that made it possible to realize this ambitious neo-Basque construction.

The plans, sketches and correspondence displayed in the first rooms show that Edmond Rostand meticulously followed the development of the project, imposing his aesthetic and functional choices.

On the first floor, the exhibition reveals Tournaire's method: precise site management, strict control of expenses, and coordination of contractors. His expertise even allowed him to reduce the final cost for Rostand by approximately 10%.

The exhibition also recalls the scale of the program envisioned for Arnaga: beyond the house, the architect designed stables, a gatehouse, a mill, greenhouses and gardens.

The story places this exceptional construction project in the context of Edmond Rostand's meteoric rise to fame. After the triumph of Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897 and then L'Aiglon, the poet fled an overwhelming notoriety and chose Cambo-les-Bains as a refuge.

As early as 1902, he dreamed of an ideal house and found a plot of land he considered perfect, a harmonious plateau overlooking the Nive. Tournaire, an already renowned architect and winner of the Grand Prix de Rome, transformed this vision into a coherent and masterful project.

The exhibition also highlights Tournaire's remarkable career: resident at the Villa Medici, architect of the Delphi excavations, designer of the Bordeaux Exhibition, and then architect for the City of Paris. He simultaneously managed major projects – the Marseille Savings Bank, the Palace of Justice, the Villa Ephrussi – and later directed the 1931 International Colonial Exhibition.

Honored throughout his life, president of the Academy of Fine Arts and then Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, he died in 1958, recognized as a complete artist and a major figure in French architecture.