Recalling the life of Eileen Gray - the Irish mother of Modernism

A new film unveils the bitter fallout between Eileen Gray and Le Corbusier over their iconic villa in the south of France, writes Ellie O’Byrne

THE tension in the auction house mounted as bids passed the €10m mark. A middle-aged woman in glasses was bidding on a piece of furniture against phone bids. With a wry half smile, she indicated her bid again and again; €13m, €14m… by the time the bidding closed at €22m, the auction house was filled with gasps and applause.

On the steps outside, the purchaser, Cheska Vallois, was asked what had possessed her to pay the highest ever recorded price for a piece of furniture at auction. She smiled, and responded simply: “It’s the price of desire.”