Musée Matisse, Nice

The Musée Matisse in Nice is an art museum dedicated to French artist Henri Matisse, who lived in Nice from 1917 until his death, in 1954.

Since 1963, the museum has been housed in the Villa des Arénes, a 17th-century Genoese-style building located on the Cimiez hill, close to a Gallo-Roman archaeological site and a Franciscan Monastery. The museum was enlarged in 1993 through the construction of a new modern-style wing designed by French architect Jean-François Bodin. A nice Mediterranean, park planted with olive trees and Italian pines and very popular among local petanque players, is located right in front of the museum.

The collection of the Matisse Museum consists of 31 paintings, 57 sculptures, 454 drawings and prints, and many cut-outs made by Henri Matisse from the late-19th to the mid-20th century; it also includes an interesting selection of personal objects belonging to the French artist. Most pieces in the collection were donated to the city of Nice by Matisse himself and by his heirs.

The program of the Matisse Museum includes temporary exhibitions, seminars, conferences, creative workshops, and music concerts. The building of the museum, which is fully accessible to physically-impaired people, also includes a bookstore.
At a short distance from the museum, it is also possible to visit the Marc Chagall Museum and the Archaeological Museum of Nice.

Exterior view of the Villa des Arénes, the home of the Musée Matisse in Nice. Photo Inexhibit.

Ancient Roman ruins in the Cimiez archaeological site close to the Matisse Museum in Nice. Photo Inexhibit