St.-Paul-de-Vence. Ever heard of it? No? Me neither.
However, this old little stone village perched atop a steep hill near Nice in France seems to have been a long standing refuge for modern artists. Still is, seemingly. The entire place is dedicated to modern art, full with galleries and sculptures. Marc Chagall is buried there. On a most remarkable cemetary. If I could choose a view for my grave, this one would be among my favourites.
And then there are Marguerite and Aimé Maeght and their Foundation for Modern Art in St.-Paul-de-Vence. Mr. Maeght was Joan Miro’s gallerist and decided to build a house and gardens dedicated to modern art. A place to show their vast collection to the public.
He asked Josep Lluís Sert, a Catalan architect, who already had worked with Miro, to think up a place, that would fit. The contrast to the old village couldn’t be more stark, and yet, the museum fits in perfectly with the historic site. It is the complementary side of the same medal.
It features a court full of Giacometti works, a Miro maze, a peaceful park filled with modern sculptures of various origins and last but not least the spectacular house itself. Showing an eclectic display of modern works from the over 13.000 artworks collected over the years. Thus, the foundation is the most important private collection of modern art in Europe. And well worth a visit, I have to add.
Here a my favourite pics from our visit this week:
Oh, some more sidenotes:
A good idea – a bench for those, who fly
And to end this post: a personal touch, two darkroom drawings (Chambre noire X and XI by Bernard Moninot), reflecting the photographer
floatsome 
If I remember right, the best thing about my first visit to the Vatican was the Modern religious art section and, in particular, some sculptures by Giacometti. They were really powerful (and quite critical!) I really like the ones you show here too.
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thanks
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