Today I’m introducing a new series on the blog: “Museum Monday”. While unable to sleep recently I started to think about ideas for blog posts (the early hours of the morning are often my most creative times) and I realised how little I’ve written about museums in the area. Nice is the 2nd city in France after Paris for museums with more than a dozen important institutions. Now when you also add all the other museums and galleries in the surrounding metropolitan area (and beyond) you start to realise there are plenty that are begging to be discovered. I’ve been to a fair few but not enough in my mind and quite strangely I realised, in the depths of the night, that the only one I’ve actually written about in its own post is the National Museum of Sport. Anyone would think I’m a keen sports person, which really couldn’t be further from the truth….I so prefer culture and art to sport!
The Côte d’Azur is famous for its beautiful light, 300 days of sunshine a year and lovely climate. This has played a big part in attracting scores of artists to live or at least spend time here over the last century. Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Renoir and Léger all had strong ties to the French Riviera and nowadays have museums dedicated to their work in Nice, Antibes, Vallauris, Cagnes sur Mer and Biot. But I won’t only be talking about the big names, there are plenty of interesting smaller museums to be discovered, and not just about art of course, just be sure to check back every Monday to find out more.
I’m going to kick off the series with a visit to the Musée National de Fernand Léger (National Museum of Fernand Leger) in Biot which is one of 33 national museums in France (under the direction of the Ministry of Culture) of which only very few are dedicated to one artist alone.
I’m not an artist nor have I studied art history so these blog posts aren’t designed to be technical or art critiques, rather just to showcase specific museums that I’ve been to and hopefully inspire visitors to the Côte d’Azur and residents alike to discover some of the rich cultural heritage of the area.
Fernand Léger (1881-1955) was a French painter, printmaker, sculptor and filmmaker. At the beginning of his career he dabbled with Impressionism but moved to Tubism, Cubism and Modernism. He was the first painter to depict industrial subjects and objects of the consumer age and is thus considered a harbinger of Pop Art.
Inside the museum you follow the progression of Leger’s career, which can be (very broadly) seen in the collage below, clockwise from top left: the realist Portrait of the Uncle, his “tube” period where figures have no faces, a study for Adam and Eve and finally industrial Modernism. 
The indoor space is bright and sparsely decorated, with views out over the garden to the hills. It’s a calm, peaceful place, not hectic or crowded – you won’t find yourself struggling to see through 10 deep crowds and selfie-sticks! The permanent collection is on the first floor while on the ground floor there’s an educational area where visitors are invited to touch the different surfaces of mosaics and bas-reliefs. Local school projects are also displayed here.
The museum is situated on a plot of land bought by Léger in the year of his death in 1955, a couple of kilometres from the pretty perched village of Biot. The building itself was designed a few years later to fit a polychrome mosaic that Léger originally created for a stadium in Hanover (Germany) – the dimensions of the fresco were used to calculate the proportions of the museum. The building has since been enlarged and now houses over 450 works of the artist, including some very rare examples of his early work.
Along with the mosaics and bas-reliefs covering the external walls, there’s a lovely stained glass window at the back and the garden showcases several sculptures set among cypress and pine trees. You’ll find a small café in the garden serving sandwiches, salads, quiches, drinks and ice-cream (note it doesn’t take credit cards) with tables set out on the lawn.
The grounds are free to access and the museum itself is a very reasonable 5.50€ for adults (which includes an audioguide in French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese or Chinese. There is also a special audio guide for children in French and English). Entry is free for all under 18s and under 26 from the EU. It is also free the 1st Sunday of the month.
The museum is closed on Tuesdays, 1st January, 1st May and 25th December, otherwise open from 10 am – 5 pm Nov-April and 10 am – 6 pm May-Oct. Check its website for more details.
I enjoyed my visit to the Fernand Léger Museum; it’s informative and utterly doable in a short space of time owing to its compact size and I felt I came away with a good introduction to an artist I didn’t really know before. I loved his bright colours and bold graphic form with its total lack of perspective; I found it fun and optimistic. What do you think? Do you know Fernand Léger’s work?
If you enjoyed this please PIN it!
I’d not heard of Léger but I do like a lot of his work. The Monument to the Resistant Fighters in Monchamp, Normandy is very similar in style to Léger’s black sculpture on the wall but I have checked and it was not commissioned by him but by Alfred-Auguste Janniot. I know very little about French art (or art as a whole in truth) so I may have to follow your lead and head to some more local art galleries and museums.
I’m glad you like the idea of the series Lieke, maybe you have a favourite one you’d like to tell me about near Fayence?
Yes Léger was commissioned to make the bas-releif at the Colombe d’Or and I was going to put it in as an insider tip, for somewhere else to see Léger’s work in the area for free, but I figuered a meal at the restaurant wasn’t exactly free!!!
Pleased to hear that your son enjoyed his workshop at the museum Liz and I agree that Biot village is worth visiting. I wrote about it here https://loumessugo.com/13-of-the-best-hill-villages-near-nice-france
Apparently most of his works are in places like MOMA in NYC and other modern art museums but I was also surprised to find out how big he was.
Thanks Marina 🙂
I’m sure I could learn from you Becks, I bet you’ve been to many more than me in the area!
I like your approach Christy!!
You’re absolutely right Liene
Biot glass is lovely I agree. Youu must come back Clare (and stay at Lou Messugo!!)
It’s definitely a child-friendly place because it’s not big, the paintings are for the most part “ludique” and cartoon-like which kids like and then there’s the garden, so yes I’d happily take kids there. I was at MuCEM last weekend but didn’t actually go in. I’d love to hear what you think about the inside, the outside is so impressive.
Easy to get to by bus from Nice Margo!
The music museum sounds interesting. I know of a place in Nice that has old musical instruments but I don’t think it’s a very child-friendly place.
I hope you enjoy the series Melodie.
A very small shop Catherine, not impressive, but some postcards and a few books.
Yes it is very colourful, I really like that too.
My pleasure Curtis, do you have a favourite museum in the Nice area? I’d love to know.
A great idea for a series – there are some excellent but little known museums to be discovered. Still haven’t visited the Leger museum – thanks for the virtual tour!
The exterior is so unique and colorful. I love large installations and lawn art. #allaboutfrance
Thank you for telling about Leger. I had only just heard of him. I love visiting small museums especially if there is a cafe and a garden. Is there a shop for buying post cards too?
I do love museums, Phoebe, so glad you have initiated this series!
Only somewhat familiar with Léger, having seen his work at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NYC ~ thought of him as a Cubist. But your quartet of artwork at progressive points in his shows me he was “wider” than that.
We love visiting museums as a family and used to go all the time when we were in London. The Science Museum was our favourite. When we visited Spain last year we found a music museum which was great for the kids. We’ll have to have a look around locally and see what we can find as we haven’t been to any round here yet. #allaboutfrance
I knew Léger had connections with the area, but I didn’t know there was a museum dedicated to his work. Thanks for the heads-up.
Would you consider the grounds an interesting place for kids to visit and run around? The lawn area looks very enticing, and with little ones perhaps even just a twirl around the grounds might be worth it? What do you think? Planning on going to MUCEM in Marseille if you are interested in that museum.
I love the smaller museums best and this looks like a great one. Another good reason to revisit Biot – I treasure my bubble wine glasses from the wonderful glass factory there.
I’m also looking forward to this series… I prefer the lesser known museums are there usually aren’t the crowds that you’ll find at the big ones, allowing a more in-depth experience.
This is an excellent idea for a series, Phoebe! I find that even though I’m not an art major, I learn so much by visiting museums and reading about them. It’s like school all over again, but in the best way! These outdoor murals are amazing, can’t wait to see whice museum you pick next! 🙂
Looking forward to the Museum Monday series! I agree that some of the nicest museums in the region are the smaller ones. Great tip by the way about the cafeteria not accepting credit card!
Well there you go Richard, something to do on a rainy day!
This looks like something we’d better visit next week while we’re staying at Lou Messugo. I know nothing about Leger, but would like to put that right.
When we lived in Biot village the Fernand Leger museum was a 5 minute walk away! I only went a couple of times and to be honest, before moving there I hadn’t heard of this particular Artist. It’s an interesting museum with lovely gardens. I’m not really into his style but I’m always happy to visit a museum… By the way, when my youngest son was 4/5 years old he did a workshop there. He came home with an amazing piece of artwork (for a 4/5 year old!!) We spent 4 wonderful years in Biot, would thoroughly recommend visiting this village not only for Fernand Leger but also for the beautiful blown “bubble” glass that has made Biot so famous!
Glad to find out about this museum. Most of the Leger’s I’ve seen are at the Inn Colombe d’Or in St. Paul de Vence. They have some very impressive pieces including a very large Leger mural in their outdoor dining area. Since we’re coming to the South of France this summer, we will have to make a stop in Biot.
I hadn’t heard of this artist but I like what I see, I also like the idea of this series and look forward to reading about other places to visit. We have a holiday home near Fayence so happy to discover new museums.
Great idea to cover lesser-known museums, Phoebe. I’ve never been a huge fan of modern art; Renaissance and Impressionist is more my style so I don’t know much about the genre. Still, even I can see that Léger was incredibly talented. Never suspected that he would have produced sufficient works to fill a museum, but that just goes to show how much I have to learn. 🙂
I adore this article! I would love to visit that museum; I’m a fan of Léger. I also really like the idea of Museum Monday. I’m looking forward to the series!