Vence—A village of art and azure
On a hot day in Vence, there is nothing like sitting on the edge of the beautiful fountain in the Place Peyra and listening to the music of its cool cascade. Enjoy the good life, you are in Vence.
The name of this tiny medieval village, clinging to the hills of the Niçois backcountry, is an invitation to living well and an ode to beauty. The beauty of the views of the mountains from the foot of the Baous. The beauty of the cobalt blue of the distant sea. The beauty of its ramparts and sinuous alleyways. Its gates and tiny squares, its chateau and tower. Of its old stone houses, which stay cool and comfortable when the sun beats down on French-Riviera.
But it’s the arts that have given Vence its international renown. A genius of a painter helped the village makes its name when he moved to Vence in 1943. Matisse’s name is intimately linked to this town, which harbors the Rosaire Chapel, a world famous masterpiece of sacred art, and of art in general. The painter spent four years conceiving and creating the chapel, overseeing the tiniest details, proving himself as an architect and an interior decorator, as well as a master painter. The contrast between the white walls and the stained glass exploding in the colors that the painter adored is riveting. It is also called the Matisse Chapel; the painter considered it his greatest work.
Since then, Vence has become one of the shrines of contemporary art, especially with the Villeneuve-Fondation Emile Hugues expositions at the castle (www.museedevence.com). The current exposition is a passionate look at the “Human Face” (the appearance and disappearance of the face), including the works of Dubuffet and Robert Malaval (until November 7, 2011).
Not only is Vence a temple of culture and architectural heritage, it is also located in a region of breathtaking beauty. So many sites, villages, and towns to see and see again: Col de Vence, the Route des Crêtes, its gorgeous neighbor St-Paul-de-Vence with its Fondation Maeght museum, the Loup Gorges, Grasse, the hill-top villages…and Nice and Cannes are so close…Vence truly deserves the moniker “Village of Art and Azure” (www.vence.fr)
Photos © Pierre Béhar 2010
The Maison du Frêne in Vence
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