Musee Matisse

Up on the Cimiez hill, at the backyard of the ancient amphitheater and Musee archeologique of Nice, there stands aloft the Fénelon Palace- the grand edifice housing the Musee Matisse, Nice. It is a visionary conception of the legendary artist Henri Matisse, who lived in Cimiez from 1917 till his death in 1954.

A potpourri of invaluable works of arts that include paintings, drawings and some of his earliest works along with other exemplars saying volumes about his lesser-known endowments as a sculptor, this place is in true sense an integral part of any recommended Nice Tours.

The building, which houses the present day Musee Matisse had once played a refuge to the bishops of Cambrai. After touching down many years, it witnessed a bout of extensive renovation during the 18th century and finally got rebuilt by Théodore Brongniart. He was also the one to create a monumental porch of neoclassic style at the site. The museum has recently undergone another round of panoptic renovation, post which the gates have been opened to the public in 2002.

Nice's Musee Matisse, famed otherwise as Matisse Museum boasts an elegantly designed interior that was orginally been conceptualised by Matisse himself. It is now the proud possessor of the third largest collection of Matisse works in France (170 of them). Get to have glimpses of the artist's private life as well, that are well depicted in the numerous black and white classic photographs coiffed superbly on the display racks.

Tourist Attractions in Nice
Colline du Chateau	Musee Chagall
Musee des Beaux-Arts	Musee et Site Archeologiques de Cimiez
Musee Matisse	Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Promenade des Anglais	Russian Cathedral
Vieux Nice

The Musee Matisse, Nice, France has seventeen exhibition rooms where you will get to have assignations with the masterpieces of Auguste Herbin (65paintings), Geneviève Claisse and Henri Cartier-Bresson (a collection of 30 photographs). Its present curator is Madame Dominique Szymusiak. Do try to visit this marvel during any of the regularly hosted temporary exhibits. Some of the renowed temporary exhibits that have caught the fantasy of the world of arts are:

• Rouault, correspondances avec Matisse
• Chagall and Tériade, l'empreinte d'un peintre

• Unité (Unity) by Geneviève Claisse
• Bois sculpté (Sculpted wood) by Auguste Herbin
• Lénine-Staline (Lenin - Stalin) by Auguste Herbin
• Réalité spirituelle (Spiritual reality) by Auguste Herbin
• Union (Union) by Auguste Herbin
• Nu rose, intérieur rouge (Pink nude, red interior) by Henri Matisse