At the beginning of the 1930s three eminent artists, two architects and a painter, became involved in a fascinating project. The architects Hendricus Theodorus Wijdeveld, from Amsterdam, and Erich Mendelsohn, from Berlin, together with the painter Amédée Ozenfant, from Paris — all three of them in their mid-forties and at the peak of their careers — made plans to found an art academy at the Côte d’Azur. It was an ambitious enterprise, which progressed far beyond the stage of conceptual plans. Potential financial sponsors were secured, an appropriate building plot was bought, and articles of association were passed. Leaflets and booklets presenting information on the school’s exceptional teaching programme were translated into several languages, printed and circulated. Artists of international reputation from all disciplines were enlisted as future teaching staff and an impressive list of well known figures from the fields of science, politics, and the arts joined the advisory committee as members.