Marc Chagall was a French naturalized Russian painter, among the best known of the 20th century. His name is linked to two cities on the French Riviera-Nice, Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the city where he lived until his death.
An opportunity to discover the artist’s life and works through museums and exhibitions.
Marc Chagall was a French naturalized Russian painter who was among the best known of the 20th century.
His name is linked to three cities on the French Riviera: Nice, Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence, cities where he lived until his death in 1985. Below are some suggestions on which attractions dedicated to Chagall to go see in these cities.
NICE
In the capital of the French Riviera, you can admire the Marc Chagall Museum. Located in the heart of the Cimiez district, the museum was born out of the artist’s desire to bring together, in one place, the Biblical Message. This is his most important work on the Bible, consisting of 17 canvases.
The permanent collection is the largest public collection of works by Marc Chagall. It revolves around the complex of works created by the painter on themes from the Old Testament, complemented by a variety of works of secular or religious inspiration: more than four hundred paintings, tempera paintings, drawings, lavis and pastel achievements. The museum offers visitors a first room that groups twelve large paintings illustrating the first two books of the Old Testament, Genesis and Exodus. A second, smaller, hexagonal room displays five compositions dealing with themes from the Song of Songs, another Old Testament book.
SAINT-PAUL-DE-VENCE
From 1966 to 1985 the artist and his wife Vava lived in Saint-Paul de Vence. They built a large house at the end of the village, called “La Colline.” This house is specially designed for work because, although Chagall was almost 80 years old, he received many commissions, coming from all over the world.
In Saint-Paul de Vence, he could be seen at the “Colombe d’Or” or at the “Café de la Place” where he met his friends. Among them were Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, whose house was close to the artist’s. His works occupy a special place in the stable collection of the Maeght Foundation: “Les Amoureux,” a large mosaic that welcomes visitors at the entrance of the foundation dedicated to the Maeght couple, and “La Vie,” a monumental painting depicting the major events that marked his existence: his marriage, the birth of his daughter, his escape from Russia and his exile in New York…
As part of the Côte d’Azur Painters’ itinerary, three reproductions on music stands of Marc Chagall’s works dot the Trious traffic circle and the Sainte-Claire path, where the artist liked to stroll.
A mosaic on the pediment of the kindergarten (visible from the terraced garden in front of the school) can also be admired: “The Green River,” created in 1986, after the artist’s death, from an original lithograph by Marc Chagall. Chagall, who loved children so much, depicts there one with a radiant smile, a symbol of joy.
The artist died on March 28, 1985, and rests in the Saint-Paul de Vence cemetery.
VENCE
Finally, we continue the itinerary with a visit to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Nativité in Vence, where we can admire the stained glass windows created by Chagall in 1979 for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The stained glass windows depict scenes from Genesis and Exodus and feature bright colors and biblical symbols.