The apartment where Matisse worked on his beloved paper cutouts was also his final place of residence for 10 years before his passing.
Those searching for a property filled with creative history will be happy to note that the home of French artist Henri Matisse has been listed for sale under Sotheby’s International Realty.
Overlooking the beautiful French Riviera, the abode is being sold for $2.7 million. It functioned as both a living space and studio, particularly during the last 10 years of the artist’s life. It’s here where Matisse would create many of his famous paper cutout pieces.
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Though the visual artist is best known for his flowing, colorful, and dynamic paintings—which were touchstone pieces of modern art—certain health complications rendered him bedridden, pushing him to use simpler tools like scissors, paper, glue, and gouache.
Matisse would then display many of these paper works on the walls of the apartment, transforming the abode into a living masterpiece.
The Workings of a Home Studio
Located in the lavish neighborhood of Cimiez in Nice, the apartment boasts Belle Époque interiors, two bedrooms, and four bathrooms. It measures approximately 165 square meters and has four balconies that offer “a panoramic view of the city of Nice, the sea, and the Bay of Angels,” according to its official listing description.
Although the sunlit apartment has been renovated, it still contains the large windows and glass exposures from Matisse’s time. Adding to the charm are its herringbone wood floors, window shutters, and pink walls and marble flooring in the bathroom.
Régina—the building where the apartment is situated—also has its fair share of delightful features. First constructed in the 1890s as a luxury hotel, the establishment offers “a caretaker, a swimming pool, a park, a tennis court, a playground, and a gym, providing a complete range of facilities and services,” as written in the property’s listing description.
Françoise Gilot, the lover and muse of Matisse’s artistic rival Pablo Picasso, once told the Wall Street Journal when discussing the artist: “It was interesting to see that he [Matisse] lived the way he painted—when you entered the house, you were in his universe.”
While Matisse’s works are no longer plastered on the walls of his Régina apartment, its future owners can take joy in owning a piece of art history that greatly contributed to the late artist’s creative process.
Banner photo from from the Sotheby’s International Realty website.
