Why go
Following their places gives an art trip geographic shape. Renoir’s house at Cagnes-sur-Mer, Matisse’s links to Nice and Cimiez, and Picasso’s years around Vallauris and Mougins connect paintings with real towns, homes and landscapes. The towns offer a more revealing route than a list of famous names alone.
The full story
The Riviera drew artists for different reasons and at different times. Paul Signac settled at Saint-Tropez in the 1890s and painted along the coast. Henri Matisse first visited the town in 1904, then moved to Nice in 1917. He lived in several parts of the city, including the area near the flower market and later Cimiez. Auguste Renoir settled in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1907 and kept painting there until his death in 1919; his house became a museum. Pablo Picasso spent summers on the Côte d’Azur before moving to the area after the Second World War, first to Vallauris and later to Mougins. Marc Chagall lived in Saint-Paul-de-Vence for decades after 1948. Other artists travelled more widely: Claude Monet painted views around Cap Martin and Cap d’Antibes, while Raoul Dufy worked in Nice and other Mediterranean towns. These connections are best explored as a network of places, with each stop showing a different relationship between artist and coast.