Musée national Marc Chagall
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Musée national Marc Chagall in Nice houses a vast collection of Marc Chagall’s works, including the Biblical Message series, paintings, drawings, and sculptures.
Planning your visit
Chagall gave the state seventeen large canvases on Old Testament themes and specified that a building be made for them, and the result is one of the few museums in France created around a single living artist's own donation, opened in 1973 with Chagall present.
The Biblical Message paintings occupy two rooms designed to his requirements, with natural light and a spare presentation that keeps attention on the work — Genesis, Exodus and the Song of Songs, painted over more than a decade in his characteristic floating figures and saturated colour.
Beyond them the museum holds preparatory drawings, gouaches, sculpture, mosaic and the stained glass windows Chagall made for the concert hall, which change entirely with the light.
The building sits in a garden of olive trees and cypress on the Cimiez hill above Nice, and the setting is part of the intention.
Allow ninety minutes. Bookable options include private tours with tickets. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Musée national Marc Chagall?
Musée national Marc Chagall is in Nice, France.
How long should I allow for Musée national Marc Chagall?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Musée national Marc Chagall in advance?
Private tours are arranged for a set date and time, so they need booking in advance.
