Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Musée Matisse
GALLERY
(
www.musee-matisse-nice.org
;
164 av des Arènes de Cimiez; 10am-6pm Wed-
Mon)
Located about 2km north of the centre, in the leafy quarter of Cimiez, the Musée
Matisse houses a fascinating assortment of works by Matisse, documenting the artist's
stylistic evolution. Its permanent collection is displayed in a red-ochre 17th-century Gen-
oese villa overlooking an olive-tree-studded park. Temporary exhibitions are hosted in the
futuristic basement building. Sadly, all explanations are in French only.
Matisse lived nearby in the 1940s, in the monumental
Régina
(71 bd de Cimiez)
build-
ing. Originally Queen Victoria's wintering palace, it had been converted and Matisse had
two apartments that he used as his home and studio. He died there in 1954 and is now bur-
ied at the cemetery of the
Monastère de Cimiez
(Place du Monastère;
8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm)
, across the park from the museum.
Musée National Marc Chagall
(
www.musee-chagall.fr
;
4 av Dr Ménard; adult/child €7.50/5.50; 10am-5pm Wed-
Mon Oct-Jun, to 6pm Jul-Sep)
This small museum houses the largest public collection of
works by Belarusian painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985). The main hall contains 12 huge
interpretations (1954-67) of stories from Genesis and Exodus. In an antechamber, an un-
usual mosaic of Elijah in his fiery chariot, surrounded by signs of the zodiac, is viewed
through a plate-glass window and reflected in a small pond.
The excellent audioguide is available in English (you will need ID as deposit). Smart-
phone users can also download the commentary as an app. It takes about 20 minutes to
walk to the museum from the city centre (signposted from av de l'Olivetto).
GALLERY
Musée Masséna
MUSEUM
(65 rue de France; 10am-6pm Wed-Mon)
The beautiful Musée Masséna, housed in a
marvellous Italianate neoclassical villa (1898), retraces Nice and the Riviera's history
from the late 18th century to WWII. It's a fascinating journey, with a roll call of mon-
archs, a succession of nationalities (British, Russians, Americans), the advent of tourism,
the prominence of the carnival and much more.
History is told through an excellent mix of furniture, objects, art deco posters, early
photographs, paintings and the lovely setting (note however that captions are in French
