Matisse Museum

Inaugurated in January 1963, the Matisse Museum in Nice is located in the heart of the Cimiez hill, the ancient Roman town of Cemenelum, which became the epicenter of the winter resort in the 19th and 20th centuries, now included on the World Heritage List of Unesco.

Made up of an old 17th century villa that the architect Jean-François Bodin reconverted between 1987 and 1993 and to which he added a contemporary underground extension, the museum today fits harmoniously into the heritage site, within a public garden, and promotes a simple and sensitive encounter with the work of Henri Matisse.

The collection , made up of works resulting from successive donations to the city of the artist and his heirs, deployed over an exhibition area of more than 1200 m2, offers a unique journey allowing us to understand the full extent of the work of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Intimately linked to the Nice workshops where Matisse created an essential part of his work, the museum also reveals to as many people as possible the collection of the painter's personal objects thanks to a museography, both chronological and multidisciplinary, which creates a new dialogue between the eras, techniques and civilizations of all continents.

Every year, temporary exhibitions of international scope take a new look at the museum's collections, and allow us to welcome works from all over the world. Recent programs have made it possible to explore the work of Henri Matisse from various and new angles, in connection with the history of 20th century art.