FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 504

roomswithafewworthwhileworks,thoughitlacksacertain jenesaisquoi whencompared
to the Chagall Museum.
Henri Matisse (1869-1954), the master of leaving things out, could suggest a woman's
body with a single curvy line—letting the viewer's mind fill in the rest. Ignoring traditional
3-Dperspective,heexpressedhispassionforlifethroughsimplifiedbutrecognizablescenes
in which dark outlines and saturated, bright blocks of color create an overall decorative pat-
tern. You don't look “through” a Matisse canvas, like a window; you look “at” it, like wall-
paper.
Matisse understood how colors and shapes affect us emotionally. He could create either
shocking, clashing works (early Fauvism) or geometrical, balanced, harmonious ones (later
cutouts). Whereas other modern artists reveled in purely abstract design, Matisse (almost)
always kept the subject matter at least vaguely recognizable. He used unreal colors and dis-
torted lines not just to portray what an object looks like, but to express its inner nature (even
inanimate objects). Meditating on his paintings helps you connect with life—or so Matisse
hoped.
Cost and Hours: Free, Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, closed Tue, 164 Avenue des Arènes de
Cimiez,tel.[phone], www.musee-matisse-nice.org . Themuseumishousedinabeau-
tiful Mediterranean mansion set in an olive grove amid the ruins of the ancient Roman city
of Cemenelum.
Getting to the Matisse Museum: It's a long uphill walk from the city center. Take the
bus (details follow) or a cab (€20 from Promenade des Anglais). Once here, walk into the
park to find the pink villa. Buses #15, #17, and #22 offer regular service to the Matisse Mu-
seumfromjustoffPlaceMassénaonRueSachaGuitry(MassénaGuitrystop,attheeastend
of the Galeries Lafayette department store—see map on here , 20 minutes; note that bus #17
does not stop at the Chagall Museum). Bus #20 connects the port to the museum. On any
bus, get off at the Arènes-Matisse bus stop (look for the crumbling Roman wall).
Leaving the Museum: When leaving the museum, find the stop for buses #15 and #22
(frequent service downtown and stops en route at the Chagall Museum): Turn left from the
Matisse Museum into the park and keep straight on Allée Barney Wilen, exiting the park at
the Archaeological Museum, then turn right. Pass the bus stop across the street (#17 goes
to the city center but not the Chagall Museum, and #20 goes to the port), and walk to the
small roundabout. Cross the roundabout to find the shelter (facing downhill) for buses #15
and #22.
▲ Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain)
This ultramodern museum features an explosively colorful, far-out, yet manageable collec-
tion focused on American and European-American artists from the 1960s and 1970s (Pop
Art and New Realism styles are highlighted). The exhibits cover three floors and include