Art of the Cote D'Azur - Cote D' Azur

French artists began to discover the attractions of the Côte d’Azur and the iridescent quality of the region’s dazzling light towards the end of the 19th century. Monet was the first artist to be lured to the Riviera, arriving there in 1885. Matisse, Chagall, Picasso and many more soon followed him. The simple villages they painted may have turned into smart resorts but the light and beauty have not changed and still inspire artists today.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 - LE GRIMALDI
We fly from London to Nice and transfer to the 4 star Hotel Le Grimaldi in the centre of Nice.

DAY 2 - MARC CHAGALL MUSEUM
We begin our tour with a visit to the Marc Chagall Museum. When it opened it was originally intended to hold the seventeen canvases of The Biblical Message, which depict scenes from Genesis, Exodus and The Song of Solomon. Today, it holds many other works by the artist, primarily those inspired by religion. During the afternoon we go to Vence to see the Chapel of the Rosary, an ambitious project which took Matisse more than four years to complete.

DAY 3 - ST-PAUL-DE-VENCE
We drive to St-Paul-de-Vence today to visit the Maeght Foundation with its stunning collection of works by Picasso, Miró, Hepworth and many others. Later we go to the Hôtel Colombe d’Or for lunch and view their own collection of works.

DAY 4 - MUSÉE MATISSE
We visit the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain and then in the afternoon the Musée Matisse where the talents of this artist can be enjoyed to the full. Here we see not just his paintings but also sculptures, ceramics and stained glass.

DAY 5 - ANTIBES
We visit the Château Grimaldi in Antibes. Most of the paintings by Picasso on display were donated to the town by the artist. Afterwards we go to Le Cannet where Pierre Bonnard lived for many years. The town was the driving force in establishing a museum dedicated to the artist’s work, and in 2011 the Musée Bonnard opened in the Hôtel Saint-Viannay. The collection is constantly being expanded and in February 2014 the artist’s ‘L’Amandier’ was added to the collection.

DAY 6 - FLIGHT
We drive to Nice airport for the flight to London.