Picasso Museum, Antibes

In the years following World War II, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso spent a happy period of his life living and working in the south of France. He established a studio in Antibes at Château Grimaldi and in just a few months he created 23 paintings and 44 drawings. In 1966 the chateau became the first museum dedicated to Picasso’s work.

Musée Picasso, Antibes

The sun-baked terrace of Château Grimaldi overlooks the Mediterranean – a stunning backdrop to a sculpture garden with pieces by Germaine Richier, Joan Miró and others.

Musée Picasso, Antibes

La Vierge folle, Germaine Richier (1946)

La déesse de la mer, Joan Miro (1968)

Jupiter et Encelade, Anne and Patrick Poirier (1983)

Hommage à Picasso, Arman (1982)

The permanent collection of Picasso’s work is on the top floor of the castle, a light-filled space once occupied by his studio. La Joie de Vivre features a dancing Françoise Gilot, Picasso’s lover and muse at the time.

La Joie de Vivre, Pablo Picasso (1946)

Picasso's Muse, Françoise Gilot

Satyr, Faun and Centaur with Trident, Pablo Picasso (1946)

La Chèvre, Pablo Picasso (1946)

Nature morte à la chouette et aux trois oursins, Pablo Picasso (1946)

Nature morte à la pastèque, Pablo Picasso (1946)

This small museum is a pleasure to visit and offers art lovers the rare opportunity to see a great artist’s work in the studio where it was created. For more information on the Musée Picasso Antibes, visit the Antibes Juan-les-Pins web site.

Ceramics, Painting Ulysse et les sirènes (1947) and
Sculpture Tête de femme (1937), Musée Picasso, Antibes

On the walk back to our motor coach for the return trip to Nice I spotted Nomade, a large seated figure gazing out to sea, by Jaume Plensa, the Catalan artist who created the floating men of Place Masséna.

Public Beach Plage de la Gravette

Nomade, by Jaume Plensa (2010)
Bastion Saint-Jaume

Port Vauban and Fort Carré

For the second week of our tour of southern France we would be leaving the coast and heading inland to Avignon, our home base as we explored the countryside and villages of Provence.

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