A visit to St. Paul de Vence - Part 7

A visit to St. Paul de Vence - Part 7

Once you have finished with your visit of the Old Town there is a further option if you are a fan of modern art. In this case I would definitely recommend a visit to the Maeght Foundation. This avant-garde building houses one of the most famous modern art museums in Europe. It is located on a hill in pine-studded woods and it blends in well, which is a unique achievement of the architect José Luis Sert. Its white concrete arcs give the impression of a giant pagoda. A stark Calder sculpture rises on the lawn. In a courtyard and beyond, the bronze works of Giacometti, marble statues by Miró, and mosaics by Chagall form a surrealistic garden. Sculpture is displayed inside, but the museum is best seen in the natural setting of terraces and gardens. It’s built on several levels with its glass walls providing an indoor-outdoor view. Also on the property are a library, a cinema, a cafeteria, and a large museum store.

The gallery is located about 800m from the northern gate of the city walls. It was founded in the late 1960s by Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, who were gallery owners in Cagnes. He was a friend to many of the local artists who had been drawn to St. Paul de Vence. He decided that there needed to be somewhere to promote the works of these new and innovative artists. The entrance fee is quite large at 14€ for this type of exhibition but the natural location and the original art make it worthwhile if you are an art lover.

One of the special tours that are offered from the tourist office involves the history and lore of the French pastime of pétanque which is also known as boules. This tour can include lessons and a practice session with seasoned locals is included as part of the experience.

You should bear in mind that given the tourist status of St Paul and the large number of visitors everything is always going to be more expensive than compared to the other small villages in the area. In many ways it is just like the super Chic resorts on the coast where you pay for the location rather than the content. However at least here there don’t seem to be as many blatant tourist rubbish shops as you find in other places here the onus does seems to be on upmarket quality.

For the final part of this series I just need to cover the hotels and restaurants.