Musée Matisse

The Musée Matisse occupies a 17th-century Genoese-style villa at 164 Avenue des Arènes de Cimiez, on Cimiez hill in Nice, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. Henri Matisse settled in Nice in 1917 and lived in the Cimiez district from 1938 until his death in 1954, and the museum, opened in the villa in 1963, grew from a gift of works by the artist and his family. The red-ochre villa, with its trompe-l'oeil facade painting, stands in an olive grove beside the Roman ruins of Cemenelum. A modern extension added in 1993 provides additional galleries. The collection covers the whole of Matisse's career, from early works of the 1890s through the Fauvist years, the Nice period of the 1920s with its odalisques and interiors, to the late cut-outs. Major pieces include the paper cut-out Flowers and Fruit, the Nu bleu IV cut-out, the sculpture Nu couché, preparatory drawings for the Vence chapel, and the designs for the Rosary Chapel, along with the artist's personal belongings, books and the objects that appeared in his paintings. The presentation is broadly chronological with thematic groupings, and temporary exhibitions enrich the permanent display. The villa has been restored and the gardens redesigned, preserving the setting that Matisse knew. According to the listing used for this guide, the museum is open daily from 10:00AM to 6:00PM from 1 April to 31 October 2026 and to 5:00PM from 1 November, but it is closed until 20 October 2026 for a new exhibition. Admission is EUR 10, with free entry for visitors under 18. A full visit takes about ninety minutes, and it combines naturally with the Cemenelum ruins and archaeology museum next door and with the Cimiez monastery gardens. The upper floors of the villa are reached by stairs and lift, and the gardens have gravel paths.