MUSEE MATISSE

  Inaugurated in 1963 on the first floor of the Arènes villa, located on the archaeological site of Cimiez, the Matisse museum preserves the donation to the city of Nice of the artist and his heirs. In 1989, the move of the archeology museum to a dedicated building initiated a redesign of the museum. The architect Jean-François Bodin rethinks the interior spaces of the old Genoese villa and conceives an extension which shelters a vast space of reception, an auditorium, a bookstore. The ensemble was inaugurated in 1993. The museum has a pedagogical workshop in 2002 and a drawing firm in 2003.
Labeled "Museum of France", the Matisse museum covers a total area of ​​2800 m² including 1200 m² of exhibition space distributed between the villa and the extension. In 2013, La Piscine's ceramics, donated by Claude and Barbara Duthuit, are installed in a dedicated room at the reception area. In 2017, a modernization campaign of the museum is initiated. It began with a redesign of the visitor's path, the renovation of the reception area and the installation of educational devices.
The Matisse Museum is part of the vast heritage complex of the site of Cimiez which includes the Roman arena and site, a garden planted with olive trees, as well as the monastery of Cimiez.