Arguably one of the most trusted sources for culture and lifestyle, an Assouline book can provide ample insight. Found within the pages, detail and guidance can point its reader in the right direction—certainly at home while reading, but while traveling, too.
Special for this edition of Whitewaller Riviera, we’re channeling a go-to book from the publishing house entitled The French Riviera in the 1920s. While the time period in focus was almost 100 years ago, it sheds light on the artists and writers—like Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gerald and Sara Murphy, Picasso, Picabia, Stravinsky, Cocteau, Diaghilev, and Anna de Noailles—that gathered there for creative exchange. Words by author Xavier Girard accompany the photobiography to tell the story of the carefree era—filled with mythic personalities, after World War II, on the quest for happiness.
In its pages, discovery is awakened by extraordinary images from an array of personal archives. Photos of stunning homes and ideal landscapes are seen among sketches by Jean Cocteau and illustrations of everyday life. Fashion, art, and entertaining events are highlighted with an emphasis on vacations for princes and princesses, backgammon matches, boat excursions, food and beverage, and soaking up the sun.
In The French Riviera in the 1920s, a quote from February 1920 summarizes the book’s tone to remind us of the region’s charm: “I am writing to you from the terrace, where I have just had my breakfast in cahoots with the sea. It is the paradise you told me of: the people are delightful, the sun is warm. Yesterday afternoon, when I got here, I could have sunbathed,” said novelist Raymond Radiguet to artist Jean Hugo.
