The man himself, now in his 80s, may fly under the radar, but his getaway in the South of France offers an insight into his personality and temperament. When de Rougemont and his wife, actress Anne-Marie Deschodt, who passed away in 2014, first found the small compound of 18th-century buildings in the little village of Marsillargues, it was nothing special. “They actually stored grain in what is now the house,” de Rougemont explains. “My studio used to house sheep.”
Over the ensuing years, however, the couple transformed this rustic domain into an artistic retreat. “A house like this takes a lot of work,” says de Rougemont, who gives all credit for the cozy transformation to his late wife. “Anne-Marie was really the mistress of it all. I was just a squatter.”
Overflowing with his own work, gifts from artist friends, family photos, cherished objects, and memorabilia, this is a truly personal refuge. But it’s also a place of prolific creativity, and his studio is filled with works in progress and studies for new projects. Although he is in his ninth decade, it’s clear that de Rougemont has no intention of slowing down.