May 5, 2005

Dear Friends,

After a childhood in dark, earthy Picardy, Matisse found his true home in the strong clear light of the French Riviera. In 1917, he spent his first winter in Nice. From then until his death in 1954, Nice or its environs [Visit the Photo Gallery] would be his principal residence.

Before I get to that, though, I want to bring you up to date on the Chasing Matisse tour. We sold out at Lemuria bookstore in Jackson, Mississippi, last week, where we had great pre-event publicity (look for the terrific Northside Sun piece, which I hope to post on the website any minute now). Also, Barnes & Noble is featuring Chasing Matisse as one of its Mother's Day recommendations. Have you bought a copy for your mother yet?!

Anyway, back to Nice. The city was Italian as recently as 1860, and you can feel the influence still: Many buildings (including the Musee Matisse) are clearly Italianate; streets and places bear such names as Massena and Garibaldi; and all day long the pungent aroma of socca (a savory pancake made of chickpea flour and olive oil) fills the air. If you want to know more about eating in Nice, click on Beth’s Diary [July 12-July 23, 2003] and Travel Notes & Recommendations. But beware—next thing you know, you’ll be booking a plane ticket.

I intended to do a lot of drawing in Nice, but the natural and manmade beauty of the city conspired to limit my output. It’s hard to stop simply staring at the blue sea, the terra cotta roofs, the flowers cascading from their window boxes. I did manage a sketch of a charming place in the old city, as well as some studies of our comfortable room at the Hotel Le Grimaldi [Visit the Sketch Pad].

In 1938, Matisse moved to Cimiez, in the hills above Nice. From his apartment at the splendid Hotel Regina (built as a palace for England’s Queen Victoria), he had a spectacular view of Nice and the sea. I was lucky enough to get to visit his apartment there. There’s still oil paint on the floor in hues of red, blue, and yellow.

If you’re so inclined, you, too, can visit one of Matisse’s houses. By far the highlight of our journey was getting to spend five nights in the artist’s studio at Villa Le Reve (“The Dream”), in Vence. Matisse moved there during World War II amid threats of Allied bombing in Nice. Once Beth and I moved into Le Reve, we could hardly force ourselves to leave [Read more in Beth’s Travel Diary]. He made his Jazz cut-outs and his last great easel paintings in the room where we slept.

The city of Vence owns Villa Le Reve, but if you’re part of a group you can reserve rooms by contacting our friend Joelle Audry, the house’s caretaker [Travel Notes & Recommendations]. The rooms are Spartan now, but there’s a magical feel in that space that you won’t get even in a five-star hotel.

Thanks, again, for coming on this adventure with us. Next week (May 10 at noon) I'll be reading and signing at The Book Stall in Winnetka, Illinois. If you have family or friends in the Chicago area, tell them to drop by and get their personalized copy of Chasing Matisse!

Next week—back to Paris!

Best wishes,

chasingmatisse.com

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