Menton France
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According to local sources, the local population wanted to become part of France. After a near riot, during a visit from a member of the royal family, the area and town was sold to France. Menton has been in French hands ever since. |
The collection of art is all paintings. The museum is set in a peaceful setting of citrus gardens abounding in oranges, lemons and grapefruits. There are over 400 trees of about 50 different species as well as over 70 sculptures of famous artists. The choice of a palace enhances the art contained inside. You could spend some time gazing at the west entrance with its golden doors, wood coverings, parquet floors and beautifully decorated ceilings.
If you would rather eat lots of healthy and nutritious vitamins instead of looking at a particularly beautiful art collection, stay in the garden, otherwise walk in. The paintings are from the XIIIth Century to the present. |
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A few names to start: La Brea, Kisling, Dufy, Derain, Delvaux, Poliakoff, Sutherland, Tal Coat and Gleizes. The styles vary from Primitive Italian to Flemish and Dutch schools. The latter five are more contemporary. Some of them might not be immediately recognizable, but what they have painted might be.
The collection grew from a private donation of an Englishman, Mr. W. Mori, at the beginning of the XXth Century. His only artistic criterion was that the paintings had to have a certain quality. Like beauty, art is in the eye of the beholder, so we can only imagine what that quality was. What we can agree on is that the paintings make up an eclectic collection, which has brought to light many artists who would not be so publicly known.
Some interesting pieces are: "La Dame au petit chien" by the Flemish artist Antonnus Moor, the portrait of Sir Radcliffe by the Englishman Hillairet, and the "Sacrifice d’Iphigenie& by Benjamin West. In a more modern vein, there is a unique selection from the Paris school of which "La negresse nue" by Suzanne Valadon is an exemplary choice. Stop by Lepria's country scenes and Max Jacob's drawings. The museum plays host to a bi-annual international festival of art. Henri Matisse created it in 1951, a few years before his death. The value of this festival was that many paintings of more famous names were acquired, such as those of Terechkovitch.
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