In time, Levett’s fondness for classical antiquity extended to collecting art of recent times with a classical inspiration. He ended up with more than enough pieces to fill a museum (MACM would display 800 works across four floors).
Levett hit upon Mougins as a location partly because he knew the place well, already owning two restaurants there; and partly because its history, in a way, mirrored his collection — ancient meets modern. The earliest settlement of Mougins dates back to Roman times, but a host of major 20th-century artists lived there too, such as Francis Picabia, Fernand Léger and, most famously, Picasso (who spent his final 12 years in the village).
It’s important to stress, however, that Levett’s collection of antiquities comprised more than artworks. In keeping with his boyhood love of military history, he acquired so many helmets, breastplates, backplates and swords that they eventually amounted to the world’s largest private collection of ancient arms and armour.
The highlights occupied MACM’s entire top floor, notwithstanding the fact that pieces were regularly lent to other institutions — a notable example being the Guttmann Mouse Helmet, which was loaned for five years to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (where Levett is a member of the visiting committee for arms and armour).
