Fernand Léger National Museum, Biot (Photo: Bengt Oberger/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Attracted to the light and the beauty of the Mediterranean coast, artists such as Renoir, Chagall, Matisse, Dufy, Bonnard, and Picasso settled in the French Riviera. In image-rich presentations, art historian Joseph Cassar discusses the importance of the South of France as an inspirational location chosen by many famous artists and provides an analysis of some of the major art museums in the fabled region.
June 2 The Cote D'Azur: A Paradise for Artists
Cassar surveys the natural beauty of the French Riviera and why artists fell in love with its atmosphere. He introduces the Marc Chagall Museum in Nice, where works transform Bible stories as human stories and the Renoir House and Studio in Cagnes-sur-Mer, created as a haven for himself and his family and a meeting place for artists.
June 9 The Fernand Léger Museum and the Pierre Bonnard Museum
These are two unique museums: In addition to paintings, the Léger Museum in Biot includes exterior mosaic murals, bronze reliefs, stained-glass windows, tapestries, and ceramics. The Bonnard Museum in the Saint-Vianney Hotel, built in 1908 in Le Cannet, houses a vast collection of paintings, posters, drawings, and prints.
June 16 The Henri Matisse Museum and the Chapel of the Rosary
The Henri Matisse Museum in Nice’s Cimiez neighborhood is housed in a beautiful 17th-century villa that formerly served as an archaeological museum. It holds the artist’s early works, paintings from a variety of periods, and sculpture. Cassar also discusses the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, which Matisse designed and considered his masterpiece.
June 23 The Maeght Foundation and the Picasso Museum in Antibes
The Maeght Foundation in St Paul de Vence is one of the most important small museums in the world. Aimé and Marguerite Maeght knew and supported many artists including Braque, Chagall, Kandinsky, and Miró—whose works were the foundation of the couple’s collection. The Picasso Museum in Antibes is housed in the 14th-century Château Grimaldi, where Picasso lived and worked for six months in 1946. The works are displayed in the same rooms in which he produced these masterpieces.
4 sessions
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