C'est la vie à côté d'Azur…

From his first visit to Corsica in 1898, trips on Algeria, Spain, Italy and Morocco, to his regular residence in Nice between 1917 and 1954. Bathed in the Mediterranean basin, Henri Matisse was truly startled to develop a new language. Through over 150 works, Musée Matisse retraced his ties, rituals and languages linked to this area, which became a gateway to the ancestral myths.

“As I am not able to swim anymore, I surrounded myself with the ocean.” Matisse executed the large paper cut-out directly on the 4 walls of his north studio in Cimiez. Bathers and divers are inscribed in an horizontal composition creating an immersive and buoyant environment.

La Piscine, 1952

Inspired by the theories of Neo-Impressionism, he experimented with the divided brushstroke, a visual technique that enhanced luminosity and colour contrasts. Yet, he applied it without his initial rigour and soon preferred flat areas of colour, which would form the origin of Fauvism.

Luxe, calme et volupté, 1904

What are this giant-like Venus on the beach and her companion with a bouquet of flowers doing? It is an opportunity for Matisse to approach the problem, essential in his eyes, of large-scale composition, decorative, monumental art, through means other than those of Fauvism.

Le Luxe I Été, 1907

The unconventional appearance is based on his encounter with Giotto slate medieval frescoes in Padua, on the influence of Cézanne; or his attraction to African and Oceanian art. These “primitive giants” are depicted within an abstract landscape summarised in 3 horizontal bands.

Les Baigneuses à la tortue, 1907-1908

He looked towards the southern part of the port of Avall, past the customs tower and before the “Botiguer”. From Cézanne’s composition via colour, vertical and oblique lines, to Van Gogh’s translation of emotion via colour, the red bursts out to translate the intensity of the light and heat.

La Plage rouge, 1905

Between 1921 and 1923, Matisse painted a series of 5 canvases representing the Fête des Fleurs. Each represents the Bataille de Fleurs, a competitive parade of flower-decorated floats on the Promenade des Anglais. This spectacular event, which originated in the late 19th century when Nice was the carnation-growing capital of France, still takes place during the Carnival of Nice.

Fête des fleurs, 1923

Ah! Nice is a beautiful land.

What a soft, gentle light, despite its brightness!

Ah ! c'est un beau pays, Nice.

Quelle lumière tendre et moelleuse malgré son éclat!

— Henri Matisse in Charles Camoin, 1918

Une plage intouchable

J’étais une fois au musée Henri Matisse.

Au XIXe siècle, les œillets étaient célèbres à Nice. Chaque année, il y avait une parade nommée « Les batailles de fleurs ». Quand ce peintre habitait à Nice, il a créé 5 œuvres d'art « Fête des fleurs », qui représentent cet événement floral qui a lieu à côté de la Promenade des Anglais.

Nice n'est pas seulement célèbre pour ses œillets mais aussi pour sa plage.

Henri Matisse aimait nager, mais il ne pouvait plus nager après avoir subi une chirurgie. Donc, il a créé une grande installation nommée « La piscine ». Il a découpé du papier bleu en forme de vagues, et l'a collé contre les murs. Son imagination lui a permis de nager à nouveau.

« Ah ! c'est un beau pays, Nice. Quelle lumière tendre et moelleuse malgré son éclat! » Cette citation exprimait son amour de Nice.