Musée Matisse

Nice, France

The Musée Matisse in Nice is a national museum devoted to the work of French painter Henri Matisse. It gathers one of the world's largest collections of his works, tracing his artistic beginnings and his evolution through his last works. The museum, which opened in 1963, is located in the Villa des Arènes.

The Villa des Arènes was constructed from 1670 to 1685. Upon its completion, it was named the Gubernatis palace after its sponsor and owner, Jean-Baptiste Gubernatis, then consul in Nice. The villa took its current name in 1950, when the City of Nice, anxious to preserve it, bought it from a real estate company.

The museum was created in 1963 and occupied the first floor of the villa, the ground floor being then occupied by a museum of archaeology. In 1989, the archaeological museum was moved to the nearby ancient site of the city, allowing the Musée Matisse to be expanded. It was closed for four years during renovations, and reopened in 1993. With a new modern wing as well as renovated spaces, the museum could exhibit its entire permanent collection, which has continued to increase since 1963 through several successive acquisitions and donations.

The museum's permanent collection is made up of a variety of donations, primarily those of Matisse himself, who lived and worked in Nice from 1917 to 1954, and those of his heirs, as well as works contributed by the State.

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Details

Founded: 1963
Category: Museums in France

Rating

3.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Anthony Chan (12 days ago)
Some tight security when entering and you have to leave your bottle of water behind. Unfortunately the permanent exhibitions were in Tokyo so could not see them. But architecturally the building is quite beautiful
Rich s (2 months ago)
Interesting museum, summaries the development of Nice and some choice art and craft designs from the belle epoque era, including paintings, clothing and furniture. Takes about an hour plus has some lovely gardens.
lena (3 months ago)
loved this museum. always been fascinated with matisse’s work, was incredible seeing his art in real life. was unfortunate how most of his painting werent at the exhibition, but what can you do ?. rooms were widely spaced, very accessible.
surbmal (6 months ago)
The greatest works aren't here. The museum is definitely too crowded; it lacks a wardrobe so you have to carry your rucksack with you all the time, which is quite uncomfortable. Lockers at the entrance get full very quickly, so if you have other bulky items (luggage, umbrella) you have just to drop them at the entrance and pray to God to find them again when you exit. To get there take bus #5 from the centre
ksoskl (11 months ago)
The whole villa is really stunning and the information regarding the artist and art is well written and fun to read. It’s fun to get a glimpse of how the artist goes through different eras in his work. The gift shop was a real treat with loads of posters, books and crafts!
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