Musée Matisse
The musée Matisse’s collection comprises works donated to the city by the artist and his heirs. Its presentation allows the public to fully experience the work of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Inaugurated in 1963, the museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year!
The musée Matisse’s collection comprises works donated to the city by the artist and his heirs. Its presentation allows the public to fully experience the work of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Inaugurated in 1963, the museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year!
Programme
Before and after Matisse, Shirley Jaffe
Shirley Jaffe (1923-2016) is a key figure in abstract painting at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is the second time the Musée Matisse in Nice has paid tribute to her work. In 1994, the artist exhibited his most recent works. Today, the exhibition features works from the whole of her career: her abstract expressionist beginnings, followed by two radical breaks leading her to abandon gesturality in the late 1960s in favor of compositions structured by geometric shapes in bright, contrasting colors, then from the 1980s onwards, to use the potential of white to bring tension to monochrome color motifs.v
Spread throughout the museum's tour route, this exhibition aims to make Jaffe's work resonate with that of Matisse.
Access
Musée Matisse
164, avenue des Arènes de Cimiez
06000 Nice
+33 (0)4 93 81 08 08
musee-matisse-nice.org
Museum open daily except on Tuesdays:
From 10 am to 5 pm from November 1st to April 30th
From 10 am to 6 pm from May 2nd to October 31st
Ticket office closes 30 minutes before.
Closed on January 1st, Easter Sunday, May 1st and December 25th.
Locate other art venues in the vicinity on the map.
Discover our address book
PLACES TO DISCOVER
• Le musée d'archéologie de Nice/Cimiez : next to the Matisse museum and located on the archeological site of the Roman city of Cemenelum, where the remains are displayed.
• The monastery of Cimiez and its garden : don't hesitate to visit the Franciscan monastery, classified as a historical monument, to admire the works of the Nice primitive Louis Bréa. The garden, formerly the monks' orchard and vegetable garden, is now a bucolic setting where climbing roses bloom on ancient pergolas. A small terrace, adorned with a fountain and ponds, opens below and offers an exceptional view of the Paillon valley and, further on, the sea.
• The Cimiez cemetery: a short detour to the cemetery located behind the monastery will allow you to see the tomb of Henri Matisse, but also those of other painters like Raoul Dufy.
• The Cimiez district: take advantage of your visit to Cimiez to stroll through the streets around the museum. This residential area of Nice, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, is of great architectural interest. It is home to luxurious Belle Époque residences, such as former palaces (e.g. the Régina, where Matisse's last studio was located) that have been converted into homes, or princely palaces of Moorish inspiration (the Alhambra).
• La chapelle du Rosaire à Vence: located 30 minutes by car from the museum, this total work of art entirely conceived by Henri Matisse is a must-see.
PLACES TO STAY
• L'hôtel Beau Rivage : it is in this hotel located on the Promenade des Anglais that Henri Matisse stayed the first time he came to Nice, at the end of December 1917.
PLACES TO EAT
There are few offers in the Cimiez district. The easiest way is to go back down to the city center (direct with buses n°5 and n°33) and, why not, sit down at the terrace of one of the restaurants of the Cours Saleya, where Matisse used to come for lunch when he lived in the Caïs de Pierlas palace, located on the Place Charles-Félix.
PLACES TO DRINK
A refreshment stand is located in the garden of the Arena, in the shade of the olive trees.
