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MATISSE MÉTAMORPHOSES
Musée Matisse in Nice
14th February  – 4th May 2020

It’s the first time in France since the 70’s that an exhibition has been dedicated to Henri Matisse’s sculptures, an important part of his work that is still little known.

The exhibition focuses on the method Matisse used to create almost all of his major sculptures: he started with a naturalistic modelling and gradually gave his figures a more abstract and radical style.

Visiting the Musée Matisse:  it’s a beautiful 17th century villa set high up above Nice in the suburb of Cimiez.  A renovation in the 90s greatly expanded the exhibition space which now contains one of the world’s  largest collections of the artist’s work.  He lived and worked in Nice 1917-1954, not in this particular villa though a fact which has disappointed some visitors.

We’ve been twice and managed to park quite easily on the road outside, maybe luckily as it is a busy area.  The villa is surrounded by a park with an olive grove; when we visited, there was a little buvette serving simple refreshments.

Afterwards you can visit his resting place at the Cimetiere du Monastere de Cimiez; or hop back in the car to take in the wonderful Matisse Chapel in Vence (quirky opening hours).

The Musee Matisse is open every day exc Tuesday, 10-18:00hrs.

Henri Matisse, La Serpentine, 1909, bronze
Donated to the French government by Mrs Jean Matisse, 1978, for the Musée Matisse, Nice – Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
© Succession H. Matisse
Photo : François Fernandez