Why else choose such an inaccessible plot of land? This surreal and melancholic building served as Curzio Malaparte’s home until his death in 1957. © 2018 Babyshark's Minority Report.
Years later, he would change his name to Curzio, so it would sound more Italian. This incredible villa became known to a wider audience after its appearance in Godard’s great movie Contempt and the scene in which Brigitte Bardot is sunbathing topless on its roof.Just as the movie carries a rebellious and subversive tone beneath the both defiant and melancholy beauty of Bardot, Casa Malaparte bears the story of its contradictory and ambiguous owner and resident, Curzio Malaparte.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Curzio Malaparte was a renowned Italian author, publicist, and diplomat of Italian-German descent who altered his name in resonance with Napoleon’s surname, Bonaparte, changing the prefix so it would mean “evil side”. In 1921, back in Italy, he started his literary career and the following year, at 24, he joined the Fascist Party and even marched with Mussolini into Rome. Construction was further complicated because they were not allowed to transport materials across the island. The red house surrounded and dwarfed by rugged rocks seems an appropriate metaphor for a man battling his ghosts and his memories. The people of Capri did not like Malaparte. Casa Malaparte, widely regarded as one of the most unique residences in modern architecture, has traditionally been attributed to Adalberto Libera, the architect Curzio Malaparte hired to build him a house atop a cliff in Punta Masullo, Capri. The other names he considered, Curzio Bonalancia, Curzio Borgia-Suckert, Curzio Colonna, Curzio Farnese, Curzio Lamberti, Curzio Pratoforte, were equally pretentious.At the age of sixteen he escaped again, this time joining the French army as a member of the Garibaldian League to fight -perhaps unsurprisingly, given the cold and distant relationship with his father- the Germans, in the First World War. Craving for something more radical and a place that would be a better depiction of himself, Malaparte finished the creation himself with the help of a local mason.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Malaparte’s experience in prison, for criticizing Mussolini’s government, was the inspiration for building a home completely estranged and isolated from civilization at the edge of a cliff. It can be speculated that the red color stands for rebellion and defiance to the Fascist regime and as a metaphor of Communism. Architect Adalberto Libera/ Curzio Malaparte, 1942. He selected the furniture and had the artist Alberto Savinio design the ceramic floor.View from the roof, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Referring to himself as a bird that swallowed his cage, Curzio wanted the house to be an exact portrait of himself. Towards the end of his life, when he became interested in Maoism, he was invited to Beijing, where he met Chairman Mao himself. Today, Casa Malaparte can be visited and is often used for cultural events.Screenshot from Godard’s Contempt, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0In 1997, the famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld visited Casa Malaparte and later on issued a book of his Polaroids. Casa Malaparte, Capri. We would like to reassure our customers that we are observing government advice on COVID-19 and adhering to all guidance and best practice. In 1925, he was one of the signatories of the “Manifesto of the Fascist Intellectuals”. Everything had to be delivered by boat. See more ideas about Architecture, Architect, Villa. It was his relationship with Mussolini’s son-in-law and political connections secured his release and the permission for building in such a splendid location.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0The house is located 31 m above the sea and can be approached only by a 4 km path across the private property, or by the steps on the cliff to which you arrive by sea.
Years later, he would change his name to Curzio, so it would sound more Italian. This incredible villa became known to a wider audience after its appearance in Godard’s great movie Contempt and the scene in which Brigitte Bardot is sunbathing topless on its roof.Just as the movie carries a rebellious and subversive tone beneath the both defiant and melancholy beauty of Bardot, Casa Malaparte bears the story of its contradictory and ambiguous owner and resident, Curzio Malaparte.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Curzio Malaparte was a renowned Italian author, publicist, and diplomat of Italian-German descent who altered his name in resonance with Napoleon’s surname, Bonaparte, changing the prefix so it would mean “evil side”. In 1921, back in Italy, he started his literary career and the following year, at 24, he joined the Fascist Party and even marched with Mussolini into Rome. Construction was further complicated because they were not allowed to transport materials across the island. The red house surrounded and dwarfed by rugged rocks seems an appropriate metaphor for a man battling his ghosts and his memories. The people of Capri did not like Malaparte. Casa Malaparte, widely regarded as one of the most unique residences in modern architecture, has traditionally been attributed to Adalberto Libera, the architect Curzio Malaparte hired to build him a house atop a cliff in Punta Masullo, Capri. The other names he considered, Curzio Bonalancia, Curzio Borgia-Suckert, Curzio Colonna, Curzio Farnese, Curzio Lamberti, Curzio Pratoforte, were equally pretentious.At the age of sixteen he escaped again, this time joining the French army as a member of the Garibaldian League to fight -perhaps unsurprisingly, given the cold and distant relationship with his father- the Germans, in the First World War. Craving for something more radical and a place that would be a better depiction of himself, Malaparte finished the creation himself with the help of a local mason.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Malaparte’s experience in prison, for criticizing Mussolini’s government, was the inspiration for building a home completely estranged and isolated from civilization at the edge of a cliff. It can be speculated that the red color stands for rebellion and defiance to the Fascist regime and as a metaphor of Communism. Architect Adalberto Libera/ Curzio Malaparte, 1942. He selected the furniture and had the artist Alberto Savinio design the ceramic floor.View from the roof, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0Referring to himself as a bird that swallowed his cage, Curzio wanted the house to be an exact portrait of himself. Towards the end of his life, when he became interested in Maoism, he was invited to Beijing, where he met Chairman Mao himself. Today, Casa Malaparte can be visited and is often used for cultural events.Screenshot from Godard’s Contempt, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0In 1997, the famous fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld visited Casa Malaparte and later on issued a book of his Polaroids. Casa Malaparte, Capri. We would like to reassure our customers that we are observing government advice on COVID-19 and adhering to all guidance and best practice. In 1925, he was one of the signatories of the “Manifesto of the Fascist Intellectuals”. Everything had to be delivered by boat. See more ideas about Architecture, Architect, Villa. It was his relationship with Mussolini’s son-in-law and political connections secured his release and the permission for building in such a splendid location.Casa Malaparte, Author: POET ARCHITECTURE, CC by 2.0The house is located 31 m above the sea and can be approached only by a 4 km path across the private property, or by the steps on the cliff to which you arrive by sea.