Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nice

The Musée des Beaux-Arts, which was built in 1878 for Ukrainian Royal Princess Kotchoubey, is housed in an Italianate mansion that will take your breath away, both because of its magnificent architecture and because of the difficult uphill journey required to access it from Nice's city center. Wandering around the museum, which holds a remarkable collection of art from the 15th to the 20th centuries, including everything from French and Italian classics to post-Impressionist works, can let you catch your breath. The Musée des Beaux-Arts has been the victim of several heists over the years, the most recent of which occurred in 2007, when thieves stole four artworks, all of which were ultimately found near Marseille.

The museum includes an art collection that spans four centuries. Paintings by Chéret and other painters from the French Riviera, such as Alexis Mossa and his son Gustav-Adolf Mossa, who served as curators of the museum for many years. Sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, François Rude, Michel de Tarnowsky, and Auguste Rodin, as well as ceramics by Pablo Picasso, are on display at the modest museum.

Location: 33 Avenue des Baumettes, Nice, PACA 06000

Website: musee-beaux-arts-nice.org