Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.mouginsmusee.com
;
32 rue Commandeur, Mougins; adult/student/child €15/8/5;
9.30am-8.30pm daily Apr-Oct, to 7pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar)
The brainchild of compuls-
ive art collector and British entrepreneur Christian Levett, this outstanding museum con-
tains 600 works spanning 5000 years of history. The collection aims to show how ancient
civilisations inspired neoclassical, modern and contemporary art, so you'll therefore find
antiquities juxtaposed with seminal modern works. Not only is it a brilliant idea, it has
also been brilliantly executed.
One of the museum's most stunning displays is a window exhibiting an antique Roman
Venus in white marble standing next to a resin and plaster-cast
Venus
by Yves Klein in
signature blue, with a surreal, giraffe-necked statue by Dalí and the
Birth of Venus
by
Andy Warhol in the background. Other highlights include
The Lagre Sphinx
, a drawing by
Jean Cocteau, sitting alongside exquisitely decorated sarcophagus and portraits by Picasso
that beautifully echo those in the museum's stunning mosaics.
The collection is organised by civilisations - Rome, Greece and Egypt each get a floor
- and the top floor is dedicated to armoury. There are fantastic explanatory panels in
French and English throughout and excellent interactive displays bringing to life the hel-
mets, spears and shields of the armoury collection.
Les Jardins du MIP
GARDEN
(
www.museesdegrasse.com
;
979 chemin des Gourettes, Mouans-Sartoux; adult/
child €3/free; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct)
Opened in 2012 by the Musée International de la
Parfumerie (
Click here
)
in Grasse, these gardens beautifully complement the museum's
collection by offering an insight into the plants used in perfumery. Visitors are actively en-
couraged to pick, rub and smell their way around. The gardens are organised by olfactive
families (woody, floral, ambered,
fougère
etc); informative leaflets are available and
gardeners will happily answer questions.
The leaflets tell you about how each plant is used, the part (root, leaf, flower) that is the
most fragrant and famous perfumes it is used in. There are photos to help you identify the
plants and explanations are available in English. The gardens are at their best in spring.
The gardens are accessible by public transport (stop Les Jardins du MIP). Take bus 20
or 21, which run between Grasse bus station and Mouans-Sartoux.
Musée de la Photographie André Villers
(Porte Sarrazine, Mougins; admission free; 10am-12.30pm & 2-7pm Tue-Fri,
11am-7pm Sat & Sun)
The small but perfectly formed Musée de la Photographie has some
fascinating black-and-white photos of Picasso, snapped by celebrated photographers such
PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM
