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Very early in its history the city was a centre of artistic endeavour and under the patronage of the House of Savoy the Nice School became an influential movement from the early fifteenth century to the mid-sixteenth century. This established art training in the city which survived the vagaries of turbulent times. Louis (or Ludovico) Brea is perhaps the most notable name from this early period, completing commissions for various religious institutions in Nice, including the Pièta, Crucifixion and Deposition in the Cimiez Monastery.
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) first discovered the Mediterranean in 1898 and thereafter this artist from more sombre northerly climes was never away from the light and colour of the South for long. He flirted with neo-impressionism with Signac in Saint Tropez in 1904 and pushed the boundaries in a riot of Fauvist colour with André Derain in Collioure in 1905. No ‘movement’ or location seemed to be able to hold him until he moved to Nice in 1917 and from that time on he became a frequent visitor and finally settled a few years later. His first lodgings were at the Hotel Beau Rivage on the Quai Etats Unis and a plaque on the present building marks the place. He was captivated by the view from his window and the sweep of the bay would become an enduring theme over the coming years.
Another name that is widely recognised as a giant of the visual arts in the 20th century is Marc Chagall (1887–1985). Born into a poor family in Vitebsk in Belarus, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire, his early years were dominated by repression and discrimination imposed on the Jewish community but this could not contain his passion for drawing and painting. Against all the odds he managed to escape to Saint Petersburg and enroled into a prestigious art school where his talent was nurtured. In 1910 he moved to Paris where he was exposed to contemporary art movements, such as Fauvism and Cubism, as well as the wealth of art heritage that the city was home to. Amidst all this he continued to develop a unique vision of the world around him heavily influenced by Russian folklore and his Jewish origins. Yearning for his homeland and indeed for Bella, the love of his life, he returned to Russia in 1914. The next few years were dominated by the privations of the First World War, the Bolshevik Revolution and the early years of Soviet rule. Through all this he continued to make a living as an artist in very challenging circumstances, and amongst his achievements was the founding of an art school in his home town of Vitebsk. In 1923 he returned to Paris where he hoped his creative life would benefit from a more enlightened atmosphere and indeed by the end of the decade he was recognised nationally and internationally as a painter of note.
The Naïve Tradition Continues | ||
Among their number was Clément Roassal (1781–1850) who came from a wealthy family in Nice and although his early life coincided with the unsettled times of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars he went on to become a prominent citizen of the city. He was self-taught and his paintings celebrate the customs, costumes and landscapes of his native land. One of his anecdotal works is La Fête des Cougourdons, 1840 (Musée Masséna, Nice) and this painting is reproduced on a display panel in the public park close to the Cimiez Monastery and Musée Matisse.
Jules Defer (1803–1902) was born in Paris and trained at the Ecole des Beaux Arts but moved to the Riviera in 1863, first to Monaco and then to Nice, where he was to spend the rest of his very long life. He was a prolific painter of local landscapes in an establisged style and although he was working at the same time as the Impressionists, many of whom were to be found painting the same subjects, their radical techniques did not much influence his traditional approach. His paintings capture a bygone age with a ‘timeless’ atmosphere and with few indications of the intrusion of modernity. The painting shown is Halte d'un moine sur la route de Gène, face à Nice (Private collection).
Joseph Fricero (1807–1870) was born into a family of merchants in Nice and as one of twelve children, he displayed a prodigious talent from an early age and was enroled as a pupil of a local artist. It was soon obvious that his education should be furthered by traveling to Italy and in Florence he began to copy the great masters housed in the Ufizzi, a discipline that he continued for a number of years in many of Europe’s principal galleries. He also traveled to Spain and then North Africa, returning to Nice in 1832 where he became friends with the well-known artist Paul Huet and they spent time painting in each-other’s company in and around Nice. Joseph continued to travel around Europe and North Africa and also visited Constantinople and St. Petersburg in Russia where he was introduced to the Imperial family. He was invited to give drawing lessons to Josephine, a daughter of the Tzar and so began a romance which would end in their marriage. They returned to Nice with Josephine’s mother and were married in Marseille in 1849. Imperial patronage continued with a return visit to Russia after their marriage but when his wife fell pregnant they decided to return to Nice, the journey being interrupted by the birth a son in Odessa. The Friceros now embarked on a privileged life as part of the extended Russian Imperial family, who are frequent visitors to their estate just outside Nice. With the arrival of many French artists of repute on the Riviera, the popularity Joseph’s watercolours gradually waned and eventually he gave up painting, a sad and disillusioned man. The picture shown is a Self-portrait from 1846 (Private collection).
François Bensa (1811–1895) was born in Nice and displayed artistic talent from an early age and by 1829 he was on his way to Rome to further his career. This was a well-trodden path for aspiring painters and proved to be a valuable learning experience for Bensa. After five years he returned to his native city and remained there for the rest of his days becoming a respected teacher and landscape painter. The town and its environs supplied most of his subject matter and the painting shown is Les rochers du Lazaret à Nice (Private collection).
Ercole (Hercule) Trachel (1820–1872) was born into a family of painters in Nice and after studying in Turin he returned to the city and spent the rest of his life producing works of portraiture, landscape, religious subjects, genre scenes and theatre decoration. In 1858 he became tutor to Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild and in her company he traveled frequently to Italy. His paintings, especially watercolours, were ever-popular with the wealthy winterers in Nice. The painting shown is Castle and town of Nice from a hillside path (Private collection).
Frantz von Alt (1821–1914) was born in Vienna and was one of eight children of the painter Jakob Alt. Like his older brother Rudolf von Alt, who later became a famous landscape and architectural painter, Frantz took his father’s profession. The brothers accompanied their father on expeditions and learned the basics of watercolour painting. Franz continued his training at the Vienna Academy. Accompanied by friends and patrons, he traveled all over Europe and Russia and his watercolors were popular with wealthy collectors in Vienna, London and St.Petersburg. The painting shown is La Promenade des Anglais (Private collection).
Alexis Mossa (1844?–1926) was born in Bogata, Colombia to French parents but at the age of five he went to live with his grandparents in Nice. His talent as an artist was encouraged and in 1861 he traveled to Paris to continue his education at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and he was soon rubbing shoulders with the emerging painters of the day. However, financial difficulties led to his return home where he established himself as a drawing tutor to wealthy ‘winterers’ and the official designer of the Nice Carnival. After extensive travels in Italy he became a leading light in the Société des Beaux-Arts and entered the political arena as a municipal councilor and used his position to promote the visual arts in the city. His son Gustave was also a talented artist and the two of them went on many painting expeditions both at home and abroad. In his spontaneous watercolours Mossa is most successful at capturing a spirit of joyful informality which is one the essential characteristics of this part of the world. The painting shown is Coucher de soleil sur la Jetée-Promenade, Nice, novembre 1910 (Private collection).
Louis Béroud (1852–1930) was born in Lyon. Some of his paintings are visible at the Musée Carnavalet and The Louvre in Paris but perhaps he is best remembered in connection with the the theft of the Mona Lisa! Béroud was a great enthusiast for copying the old masters and on August 22, 1911 he went to The Louvre to sketch the Leonardo masterpiece but where the painting should have stood he found an empty space. He contacted the guards, who thought the painting was being photographed for marketing purposes. A little later Béroud checked back and it was confirmed that the Mona Lisa had been stolen. The gallery was closed for an entire week while the theft was investigated. His meticulous paintings of interiors and urban landscapes capture the essence of the Belle Epoch.
Angelo Garino (1860–1945) was an Italian artist born in Turin and best known for his genre paintings and depictions of society beauties – all very collectable by the wealthy ‘winterers’ in Nice. The painting shown is Port de Nice (Private collection).
Frédéric Fiebig (1885–1953) is little-known today but in the early years of the 20th century was a significant figure on the Paris art scene. He was born in Latvia, which at the time was part of the Russian Empire, of German ancestry. His artistic talent was recognised by one of his teachers, Elizabeth Krause, who sponsored him in a move to study in St. Petersburg. Inspite of a twenty year age difference they became lovers and married in 1906 and she remained his faithful supporter for the rest of her life. Exposed to new developments in the arts, the lure of Paris became irresistible and in 1907 the couple moved to the city. He was soon exhibiting alongside other artists involved in the rapidly changing art world where one ‘ism’ was soon superceded by another but his own style remained very individual and cannot be easily categorised. In 1911-12 he made a trip to Italy and on his return spent some time in the South of France where the picture shown, Marché de Nice (Private collection) was painted. His obsessional and difficult temperament always made life a challenge and hardship was ever-present. Eventually the family moved to Alsace and the artist became increasingly isolated from the mainstream but he continued to paint until ill-health, failing eyesight, the deaths of his son and wife and the privations of the Second World War left him a tragic figure in the company of his remaining daughter. 
Arrival of the modern masters
It is interesting to note that an early visitor to Nice in 1891 was Edvard Munch
(1863–1944), the Norwegian painter with a reputation for melancholic
images of the world – both physical and psychological. What a contrast
the Côte d’Azur must have been to his northern homeland when he visited
Nice in 1891. The works he produced are suffused with light and colour
such as Promenade des Anglais (Private collection) shown here.
Although the weather was not particulary benign at the
start of his stay the attraction of the place was irresistable and in
his own words: ‘When I realised that I would see this light every
morning, I couldn’t believe my luck. … The sea is blue, but bluer than
any one has ever painted it, a colour entirely fantastic and incredible.
It is the blue of sapphires, of the peacock’s wing, of an Alpine
glacier, and the kingfisher melted together; and yet it is like none of
these, for it shines with the unearthly radiance of Neptune’s kingdom;
it is like nothing but itself, its colour is so rich and deep you would
think it opaque, and yet it gleams, it is translucent, it shines as if
it were lit up from below.’ The painting shown is The Bay of Nice (Private collection). The following year he moved to an apartment in a villa on Mount Boron from where he had panoramic views along the coast and the old town. In 1920 he stayed at the Hotel de la Méditerranée on the Promenade des Anglais and although this building no longer exists it is still possible to get a view the artists might still recognise from the 2nd floor coffee shop of the Palais de la Méditerranée. 
Matisse finally tired of living and working in hotel rooms and in 1921 he rented an apartment in an historic townhouse on Place Charles Felix in the heart of the old town. The building is still there, although looking a little shabby these days. He stayed here for seventeen years and it was during this time that he produced many of his finest painted works including the controversial series of odalisques set amongst exotic fabrics and screens. He also became an enthusiastic canoeist and could often be seen paddling around the old port. The painting shown is Girl by a Window, 1921 (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). 
In 1938 he moved to the Hotel Regina in the suburb of Cimiez. This very grand building had once been the residence of choice of Queen Victoria and her entourage on her visits to Nice and can still be seen close to the present-day Musée Matisse. His suite of rooms would become a new laboratory for creative experiments and part of interior furnishing was an aviary containing nearly 300 birds. The painting shown is La Conversation, 1938 (San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art). During the Second World War he took refuge from the bombing in nearby Vence at Villa ‘La Rève’ and he would stay here until 1949, partly to work on his designs for the Chapel – a monumental achievement of his later years. In his 80th year he returned to his old studio and here he would remain for the rest of his life. Increasingly frail and suffering from cardiac fatigue, insomnia, breathing difficulties and failing eyesight he remained creatively active even though much of this was achieved from the confines of his bedroom. He was still working the day before he died, producing a sketch in ball point pen of his long-term model, muse and sometimes lover Lydia Delectorskaya who was with him until the very end. He is buried alongside his wife in the cemetery at the Franciscan Monestary of Cimiez.
Raoul Dufy (1877–1953) was a few years younger than Matisse and similarly from more northern climes, being born on the Normandy coast at Le Havre. He was the son of a church organist and choirmaster and the sea and music would prove to be enduring passions throughout his life. At art evening classes he met Othon Friesz and Georges Braques who became friends for many years to come. He was awarded a grant by the city to continue his art education in the capital and here he entered the creative hothouse of ‘fin-de-sciecle’ Paris, meeting many of the leading artists of the day. His early landscapes, painted with a fairly subdued palette in an impressionistic style, were exhibited in 1903 and well-received. It was at this time that Dufy was encouraged to visit the ‘South’ following in the footsteps of other artists such as Renoir, Signac and Derain. At Martigues he produced a series of paintings rendered in a much lighter and brighter palette. He became a frequent visitor to the area around Marseille and was influenced by the wild colours of the Fauves, including Matisse. In 1907 he settled in La Ciotat where his style took a new direction with an exploration of the ideas behind Cubism and in this enterprise he was joined by his friend Georges Braque. He returned to Paris in 1909 and started to take an interest in the decorative arts. The various influences that he had absorbed over the years led to a unique style characterised by freedom of line, fluidity, transparency and, not-least, humour. Nice became a favourite place for Dufy and provided many subjects for his joyful and slightly whimsical images. While living in Paris in 1911 he met Eugénie Brisson, a native of Nice, who was working as a seamstress and part-time artist’s model and so began an affair that would last a lifetime. They lived in Nice between 1925 and 1929 taking an apartment at Villa de Guelma on Avenue Edouard VII in Cimiez. The grave of Dufy and his wife is to be found in the cemetery at Cimiez close to his friend and mentor Henri Matisse. The image shown is Le Casino de Nice, 1929 (Private collection).
It was also at this time that he first traveled to the Côte d’Azur where the effects of light and colour undoubtedly had an influence on his work. Chagall was in the South of France at the outbreak of the Second World War and as a prominent Jewish artist he was forced to flee to the United States. New York proved to be a fertile studio for his creative endeavours and by the end of the war his reputation had been enhanced but his personal life was touched with tragedy when his wife, Bella, died in 1944. In 1947 he returned to France and chose to live in Saint-Paul de Vence, near Nice where his near neighbours included Matisse and Picasso who once said of him: ‘When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color is ...’. In Chagall’s opinion he was ‘born for the second time’ in Nice and this feeling of well-being and whimsy is reflected in a series of etchings he produced in 1967 and the one illustrated here is Sirène et poisson. He also chose Nice to be the home of his series of monumental biblical paintings and this is now the Musée National Marc Chagall. After a very long and highly creative life he died in 1985 and is buried in Saint-Paul de Vence.
Another artist with Russian origins is Nicolas de Staël (1914–1955), although in complete contrast to Chagall, his was from an aristocratic family. However the Revolution of 1917 forced them to flee to Poland and then Belgium where de Staël received his art education. He traveled widely in Europe and North Africa before moving to live in Nice in 1941 and it was at this time that his art was moving towards abstraction. His work is characterised by the juxtaposition of blocks of textured colour creating a singular vision of space. After surviving the difficulties of the Second World War his wife died in childbirth in 1946 and after this he led a nomadic lifestyle until 1953 when he settled in Antibes, close to Nice. It was here that the life of this highly talented but deeply troubled artist ended in suicide in 1955. The painting shown is Nice, 1954 (Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington).
François Bret (1918–2004) received his art training in Paris and practised as an illustrator and lithographer after the Second World War before becoming an influential teacher at the School for Decorative Arts in Nice in 1950. He went on to become the director of the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Marseille and was a key figure in the art world on the Côte d’Azur. The painting shown is The Rooftops of Nice (Private collection).
