Why artists loved Nice
From the late nineteenth century, painters were drawn to the Côte d'Azur by its intense, clear light and its colours: the blue of the sea, the ochre of the houses and the green of palms and olive trees. Henri Matisse settled in Nice and spent much of his later life here, and Marc Chagall, Raoul Dufy and many others were inspired by the region.
The result is a remarkable collection of museums, several of them free or inexpensive, which make a perfect plan for a day when the beach is not calling.
Cimiez: Matisse and the Romans
The hill of Cimiez, north of the centre, is a peaceful residential district of grand villas. It was the site of the Roman town of Cemenelum, and the remains of baths and an amphitheatre survive. Beside them, in a red Genoese villa surrounded by an olive grove, the Matisse Museum traces the artist's career from his early work to the late paper cut-outs.
Matisse is buried in the cemetery of the nearby Franciscan monastery, which also has beautiful gardens with views over the city. Buses run up from the centre.
Chagall's biblical message
On the lower slopes of Cimiez, the National Marc Chagall Museum was created to house his cycle of paintings on the Bible. Large, vivid canvases depict stories from Genesis and Exodus, along with a series on the Song of Songs in warm reds and pinks. The building also contains stained glass windows and a mosaic by the artist, and a small concert hall with his blue windows.
It is a calm and moving museum, small enough to see in an hour or two.
Modern and contemporary art
In the city centre, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, known as MAMAC, focuses on art from the 1950s onward, including pop art and the School of Nice movement, with Yves Klein well represented. Its rooftop terraces offer views across the city. The Museum of Fine Arts, in a nineteenth-century villa west of the centre, has works by Dufy, Bonnard and others.
Beyond Nice, the Matisse chapel in Vence, which he designed in every detail, from stained glass to priests' robes, is considered by many his crowning achievement and is an easy excursion inland.
Good to know
- Check opening days; several Nice museums close on Tuesdays.
- A museum pass may be good value if you plan to visit several in a short period.
- Combine Cimiez's museums and monastery gardens in a single morning to save travel.