Art galleries, arts tourism in Var
The area is renowned for its mainstream galleries and exhibitions. These are primarily situated along or near to the Côte d’Azur and will probably already be known by visitors to the Art Lover’s House.
A selection of highlights is as follows:
Provence inspired many of the most original 19th. and 20th. century painters. They were attracted to the luminescent quality of the light there and the consequent brilliance of the colours. Cezanne, who was a native and Van Gogh, a convert, were both fired by the vibrant shades of the landscape. The Impressionists Monet and Renoir came early and followers included Bonnard, Signac and Dufy.
The two giants of 20th. century painting, Matisse and Picasso both settled here. The artistic tradition is kept alive by small galleries in almost every town, as well as major museums throughout the region.
Musée Picasso, Antibes.
Since the early 1920’s Picasso had been summering on the Côte d’Azur, in the small area linking Juan-les-Pins, Cap d’Antibes and Antibes. He spent the summers of 1923, 1924 and 1925 in Antibes. At this time the Palais Grimaldi was put on the market by the French state. Picasso longed to buy the property, but it was bought by the city of Antibes and became the Musee Grimaldi, housing historical and archaeological artefacts.
In 1946 Picasso was living with Francoise Gilot in Golfe-Juan when he was invited to occupy a room in the Grimaldi Palace and in subsequent months painted 23 great paintings which, along with other works of art, are still exhibited on public view in the space in which they were originally painted. Picasso subsequently donated other works of art to the gallery, making it one of the greatest collections of his art on display to the public anywhere in the world.
Musée Renoir, Les Collettes.
East of Cagnes-Ville is Les Collettes, built among ancient olive trees by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. He came there in the 1890’s hoping that the climate would relieve his rheumatism. He bought the house in 1908 and stayed for the rest of his life. A picture of Renoir in his last year shows him still at work, a brush tied to his crippled hand.
Now the Musée Renoir at Les Collettes is almost exactly as it was when the artist died. In the house are ten of Renoir’s paintings, as well as works by his friends Bonnard and Dufy. Visitors can also explore his beloved olive groves, the setting for the fine bronze Venus Victrix (1914).
Musée Matisse, Nice.
Henri Matisse first came to Nice in 1916 and lived at several addresses in the city before settling in Cimiez for the rest of his life. His devotion to the city and its “clear, crystalline, precise, limpid” light culminated, just before his death in 1954, with a bequest of works.
Nine years later they formed the museum’s core collection, sharing space with archaeological relics in the Villa des Arènes, nect to the Cimiez cemetery which holds the artist’s memorial. Since 1993 the entire villa, complete with its new extension, has been devoted to celebrating his life, work and influence.
Musée d’Histoire Locale de St-Paul, St-Paul-de-Vence.
This village was first ‘discovered’ by Bonnard, Modigilani and other artists of the 1920’s. Since that time many of the rich and famous literati and glitterati have flocked to St-Paul. A photographic display in the local musuem includes Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Catherine Deneuve, Sophia Lauren and Greta Garbo.
Most famously these personalities slept and dined at the Colombe d’Or auberge. Today it has one of the finest 20th. century art private collections, built up over the years in lieu of payment of bills. The priceless dining room decor includes painting by such world famous artists as Miro, Picasso and Braque.
The cemetery in St-Paul-de-Vence is the resting place of Marc Chagall.
Foundation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence.
Nestling amid the umbrella pines in the hills above St-Paul-de-Vence, this small modern art museum is one of the world’s finest. It was founded by Cannes art dealers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght. Friends and clients included the likes of Chagall, Matisse and Miró.
Their private collection formed the basis for the museum, which opened in 1964. It features exhibits such as figures by Alberto Giacometti, La Vie, by Marc Chagall, L’Eté by Pierre Bonnard and La Partie de Campagne by Fernand Leger.
Other fascinating features are a mosaic pool entitled Les Poissons, designed by Georges Braque in 1962 and Labyrinthe de Miro - a multi-levelled maze of trees, water and gargoyles featuring Miró’s l’Oiseau Lunaire.