The Côte d'Azur, a land of welcome and inspiration for artists
The three national museums of the XXe century are located in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, on either side of the Var river, which marks the historic border between Provence and the County of Nice. This area is characterized by a profusion of artistic and cultural structures: more than 62 museums and foundations can be counted here, testifying to the attraction of the greatest artists to the light and emulating context of the Côte d'Azur.
This geographical integration into the artistic modernity of the XXe century took concrete form on May 13, 1960 in Biot, with the inauguration of the Musée Fernand Léger, which became the first monographic museum in the Alpes-Maritimes, housed in contemporary architecture specially designed for the painter's work. It was also the first museum created by a private initiative and operated with entirely private means, until 1967, when it was donated to the State.
This territorial anchoring continued in Nice, with the opening to the public of the musée national Marc Chagall, on July 7, 1973, the anniversary of the Belarusian painter's 86th birthday. The first monographic museum devoted to a living artist, the Marc Chagall Museum is the fruit of the donation of the 17 canvases of the Message Biblique, in 1966, by the Chagall couple, and of the close collaboration conducted between Marc Chagall, architect André Hermant and landscape designer Henri Fisch.
This fruitful relationship between the Côte d'Azur and the masters of modern art was also part of a movement to rediscover sacred art, which became all the rage in the 1950s. Henri Matisse completed the decoration of the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence; Marc Chagall, as well as Pierre Bonnard, Fernand Léger and Germaine Richier took part in the decoration of the Plateau d'Assy church, Notre-Dame-de-Toute-Grâce. It was in this context of artistic decompartmentalization that Pablo Picasso installed in 1952, in the small Chapelle deconsecrated Romanesque church of the former priory of Vallauris, the painted masterpiece La Guerre et la Paix, which he donated to the State in 1956.
Three heritage architectures
Benefiting from "Monument historique" protection for the Picasso chapel, and the "Architecture contemporaine remarquable" label for the Fernand Léger and Marc Chagall museums, the national museums of the XXe century in the Alpes-Maritimes have a strong heritage identity, positioning them as three must-see sites in the region.
With more than 240,000 visitors a year (overall figure in 2019), the National Museums of the XXth century in the Alpes-Maritimes are the department's leading museum visitors.
To discover the Musée national Marc Chagall, in Nice, click here
To discover the Musée national Fernand Léger, in Biot, click here
To discover the Musée National Pablo Picasso, La Guerre et la Paix, in Vallauris, click here
