The landscapes of the French Riviera have long inspired countless pictorial works. The great masters have praised it for its tremendous luminosity, the diversity of its landscapes and its art of living. Today, the works are displayed outdoors, in the very place where the masters once set up their easels. An idea for a walk to (re) discover it in an “old” light!
While walking on the outskirts of the medieval village of Hauts de Cagnes, around Saint Paul de Vence or along the ramparts of Antibes, you will come across lecterns placed there, representing the works of famous masters. You don't have to look for long to find a strange similarity between the landscape and the subject of the work. And for good reason: the Riviera region has been painted a thousand times ... and the palm of the hand goes to the impressionists Renoir and Monet. Matisse discovered “the Mediterranean light” in 1898 and settled in Nice in 1917. Bonnard, Chagall, Cocteau, Cross, Derain, Dufy, Léger, Picasso, Soutine lived or stayed on the Côte d'Azur and left their mark there as indelible way.
An itinerary in the footsteps of the great masters ...
This walk, entitled “The Painters' Côte d´Azur”, is materialized by around thirty lecterns representing the landscapes painted by the great masters. These lecterns are placed in the footsteps of the easels which carried the original works at the time of their creation. Maritime landscapes, towns and villages, squares and alleys, gardens ... so many themes that make up the richness of the destination. They mark the passage of painters in Antibes Juan-Les-Pins, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Grasse, le Cannet, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Villefranche-sur-Mer. Menton, Nice and Mougins will soon join the cities associated with this event. In the end, this pictorial course will offer around sixty lecterns.
To see further…
To fully enjoy this different walk, you should not be left to chance encounters with these lecterns. Go to the Tourist Offices to collect the leaflets and maps that guide you on the trails or routes of the Route des Peintres. You will also be able to take advantage of fascinating guided tours by the guides of the Tourist Office. Finally, it should be noted that a large part of these works can be seen in museums on the Riviera. After this discovery of the works “in a natural environment”, you can complete your walk by visiting one of the many museums, foundations, artists' workshops, places of life ... or simply return to the places of contemplation that inspired the greatest painters of the 19th and 20th centuries.
A pretext for a stroll or a parenthesis during the holidays, the Painters' Route deserves a look and could well make as many people as possible want to know a little more about this Côte d'Azur which was once wild and source of inspiration… A way of reconciling Riviera and allergic to jet-setters!
Check with the Antibes Juan-Les-Pins Tourist Offices
Tours in Antibes
The guided tours service of the tourist office organizes a guided walking tour on the theme of "the Painters' Route".
Every Thursday at 10 a.m. Prices: € 7 for adults - € 12 per couple - € 3.50 for children aged 8 to 16 and students - Free for children under 8.
Departure from the Antibes tourist office. Duration of the visit: approximately 1h45
Information from the guided tours service: 04 97 23 11 25