Charles de Beistegui’s Folly

One of the key members of Cafe Society is Charles de Beistegui (also known as Carlos de Beistegui e Yturbe), an eccentric and flamboyant Spanish-French multi-millionaire, heir of a Mexican silver empire. This fascinating aesthete was best known for the “party of the century” he gave at his Palazzo Labia in Venice in 1951 (where he was wearing 16” platform shoes to be able to see everyone and to be seen by all his guests) but he also was a patron of avant-garde artists like Le Corbusier or Salvador Dali.

Chateau de Groussay was built in 1815 in Montfort-l’Amaury, France, by the duchesse de Charest and de Beistegui purchased it in 1939. He expanded it with the help of the architect/decorator Emilio Terry and the artist Alexandre Serebriakoff, revamping the chateau and adding Anglo-chinese gardens inspired by those of the 18th century. They feature a Chinese pagoda, an al fresco theatre, a Tartar tent, an observation tower, a labyrinth temple, a pyramid and other follies. 

The Tente Tartare that was built in 1960, inspired by the tent that King Gustav III of Sweden raised in Drottningholm: its exterior is actually painted wood and the interior is completely clad in Delft tiles. The Palladian Bridge was designed by Terry the same year to recalls the bridge at Wilton Park in England and the Guglie Bridge in Venice where Charles de Beistegui owned his other famous Palazzo. A Column Observatory, inspired by the Vendome column in Paris and built in 1962, allowed a panoramic view on the entire countryside while the Temple of the Labyrinth, built 5 years later, sits at the center of a small maze. A pond and an island were created especially for the Chinese Pagoda, found in Rome by Emilio Terry in 1968. 

The Chateau de Groussay’s decoration influenced many decorators including David Hicks, Mark Hampton, Daniel Romualdez, and even Miles Redd. De Beistegui had copies of the world's great paintings installed, but often claimed they were the originals. He commissioned Spanish weavers to create tapestries in the style of Goya and had giant Chinese jars which looked authentic but were actually made of tin or plaster. But he also had an enormous number of genuine pieces being an avid art collector - his taste became known as "le goût Beistegui" (the Beistegui style). The library inspired Cecil Beaton for his “My Fair Lady” film set and the private 150-seat theatre is modeled off a Baroque opera house in Germany.

Because of de Beistegui’s Spanish neutrality and his diplomatic passport, the chateau was never occupied during the war. Instead, it hosted parties for all of Paris society. Despite this colossal extravagance and the enormously high-profile guest list he was able to attract, Beistegui did not generally warm to people and he never got married. After his death, the chateau was passed to de Beistegui’s nephew who sold it in 1999, earning $26.5 million for its contents alone. The sale was described as "a major event in the history and sociology of the decorative arts”. The Chateau de Groussay is now open to all and is still a folly in itself.