1 Casino, Monte-Carlo
2 Corniche d'Or
3 Èze
4 Fondation Maeght, St-Paul-de-Vence
5 Îles de Lérins
6 MAMAC, Nice
7 Musée Matisse, Nice
8 Musée Océanographique, Monaco
9 Musée Picasso, Antibes
10 Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Picasso once had a studio inside Antibes' old, seafront Château Grimaldi. Today it houses one of the world's finest collections of his works.
The Grimaldi family ruled for centuries from this beautiful 13th- to 16th-century castle, constructed following the design of an ancient Roman fort. In 1928, the city of Antibes bought the castle to house its Museum of Art, History and Archaeology. When Pablo Picasso returned to his beloved Mediterranean in 1946, after spending the war years in Paris, he found that he had nowhere suitable to work so the Mayor of Antibes lent him a room in Château Grimaldi.
After the melancholy of war, Picasso's work here took on a new dimension, reflecting the joie de vivre of the Mediterranean, bathed in sunny colours and incandescent light. He combined his bold new techniques with ancient themes and mythical images, creating such masterpieces as Le Centaur et le Navire, Ulysée et les Sirènes, Nu Couché au Lit Bleu and his famous Antipolis or La Joie de Vivre. Although Picasso spent only six months working here, it was one of his most prolific phases. In gratitude, he donated the complete works of this period to the castle museum, together with a lively collection of tapestries, sculptures and over 150 ceramics designed at nearby Vallauris. Most of Picasso's works can be found on the first floor of the castle, while the ground floor contains photographs of the great master at work. Works by his contemporaries, including Léger, Ernst and Hartung, hang on the second floor in Picasso's former studio, and the sunny terrace overhanging the Mediterranean provides an amusing location for stone and bronze sculptures by Miró, Richier and Pagès, displayed amongst cacti, trees and flowers.Address: Château Grimaldi
Phone: 04 92 90 54 20
Open: Jun-Sep 10-6; Oct-May 10-12, 2-6. Closed Mon and hols
Bus: Antibes
Accessible: Good
Admission: Moderate
Practical: Guided tours on request. Children's workshops
| COUNTRY |
| France |
| REGION |
| French Riviera
|
| Viewing |
| Top Ten |
| What To See |
| Where To ... |
| Practical Matters |
| CITIES |
| Paris |
| Lyon |
| Nice |
| Strasbourg |
| MAPS |
| World |
| Europe |
| TRAVEL BOOK |
 |