Musée Matisse

Henri Matisse lived in Nice from 1917 until his death in 1954, and the Musée Matisse in the hills of Cimiez is the city's tribute to him. It occupies the Villa des Arènes, a Genoese villa built in the late seventeenth century, set in an olive grove beside the Roman remains and gardens of Cimiez. The villa was built between 1670 and 1685 for Jean-Baptiste Gubernatis, then consul in Nice. The city bought it in 1950, the museum opened in 1963, and it reopened in 1993 after four years of renovation.

The collection of nearly 600 works was given to the City of Nice by Matisse himself and by his heirs. It follows his career from the 1890s through to the cut-out gouache papers of his final years, and includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and illustrated books. One of the most personal parts of the visit is the group of objects that belonged to him, which sit alongside the works and give a sense of the artist at home. The holdings include 68 paintings and gouaches, 236 drawings, 218 prints, 57 sculptures and 187 of his own objects, along with tapestries, ceramics, stained glass and photographs.

The museum also runs temporary exhibitions. An Alex Katz show, Le silence de la peinture, runs from 28 October 2026 to 18 January 2027. The Matisse Lab offers family workshops, art classes and sketching sessions, which makes the museum a good choice for children with an interest in drawing.

The museum is closed on Tuesdays, and hours change between summer and winter, so check the official site before going. It also closes for a few weeks between exhibitions. Under-18s enter free, the French Riviera Pass gives free entry, and a municipal pass covers all city museums over several days. The tourism office suggests about an hour for a visit, and the building is accessible to wheelchair users and buggies.

Cimiez is a residential district on the hill north of the centre, and buses run up from the city. The Musée Chagall is on the way, so many visitors combine the two in a morning. Next to the Matisse museum are the Roman arena and the gardens of the Cimiez Monastery, where Matisse is buried.