Marc Chagall National Museum

We were in Paris in April and saw the ceiling of Paris opera house, coming to this museum is really eye opening. The descriptions for the Chagall painting are information plus detailed audio to the paintings from the museum’s online contents. The museum ground including the surrounding area is nice. Chagall’s works may look different at first glance, the more you look at them but more you may appreciate them.

Great museum with a wide collection of paintings, some stained glass and litographies. Two rooms were closed in January, and please take into account a lunch break - 1-2.30pm.

Chagall's masterpieces are at this museum. His works are awesome and inspiring. The colors, the movement bring you right into the subject matter, often taken directly from the Bible. I've included photographs of several of his works but honestly seeing it in person is much better. Would highly recommend. If you have a car, there is a small parking lot in the back of the museum. Also note that the museum doesn't accept visitors between 1230-2 pm. If you arrive during that time you can hang out in the garden cafe of the museum which is located in the grounds of the museum in an beautiful garden. Would even recommend visiting the cafe before or after the museum visit.

The Marc Chagall museum is home to a stunning collection of large brilliantly colourful bible themed paintings, together with earlier paintings and stained glass windows. Our timing conicided with a very good english film on Chagall whichbid recommend. It is the first national museum in France dedicated to a single artist opened while s/he was still alive. And the setting makes for a very peaceful, reflective visit.

Great museum. Variety of art work. Beware that there’s security you need to go through upon entering.

This museum will exceed your expectations and captivate you with its wealth, regardless of how much you appreciate Marc Chagall’s work. It is probably one of the best museums dedicated to an artist that I have ever visited. The fact that Chagall himself was involved in the creation of the museum makes it even more special. This is my second visit, and I still cannot get over the colors, the mystery, and the immense number of details that enrich his work.

Really interesting museum which honestly was so much more than we all expected. A very impressive Chagall collection and they actually also do a great job I'm telling the history of his life and ongoing politics for each decade as you walk through his work in time. A beautiful garden surrounds the museum and it has a nice cafe with great lunch opportunities. If you are lucky, as we were, there is even free parking behind the museum. A small parking lot dedicated the guests. You should go!

Following the route of the tour and reading the available material in the museum I felt I needed to know more information in the museum about Marc Chagall to really appreciate his impact on our modern world, perhaps the audio guide would have helped. I will admit, I am not particularly well read in art so I wonder if as a more casual art fan this might be a museum to miss unless you have a particular interest Marc Chagall. This museum itself is set in a lovely garden and well laid out. The cafe looked great, although I did not have time to stop. You will need to pass through metal detectors to enter the museum, this is after you buy your tickets. The staff were all very friendly. Note the museum was closed between 1pm and 2pm on the day I visited.

Enjoyable visit. It is not that big but a nice setting with a garden. Two buildings. One with some of his biblical series from Genesis and Songs of Songs. I normally don't like to sit through a film, but the cinema also had his stained glass work. It helped the artist come to life from the screen. It was 6 euro entrance and I thought it was worth the admission. Tips: 30 minute walk from the old city but the last bit is up a hill. There is a bus option which stops fifty meters from the museum There is a cafe. Only beverages from what I noticed. Limited entrance capacity so expect to wait if there are large crowds. Security check and no water bottles. You can check it and pick back up later.

Seventeen paintings illustrating episodes from the Bible--Genesis, Exodus, and the Song of Songs.

Credit goes to my elementary school art teacher for introducing us to Marc Chagall's "I and the Village" in 3rd or 4th grade. The vibrance of his images and personal meaning engrained into his art stand out, transcending languages and cultures. Since learning about this museum prior to my visit to Nice, I made it a priority to come by and check it out. There's not a whole lot of public transit in the area, though a few buses have stops nearby. The museum is fairly small, about 2-3 main exhibit halls with a separate auditorium. A small garden area encircles the building. At the gate they check bags and then inside the entrance is a single ticket booth. The gift shop and bathrooms are located right next to the entry/ticket area. As of mid-January 2024 the secondary exhibit hall was undergoing maintenance for the upcoming displays so wasn't accessible, so they were providing a slight discount on ticket fees, full priced €8 during non-exhibition periods, though they charged €6 the day I was there. During exhibition periods full priced tickets are €10. The art on display consists mostly of biblical scenes in large scale, like 7-9 foot tall canvases and some preparatory sketches for the bigger works. There are a few stain glass pieces, most notably built directly into the windows of the auditorium. While I was there, they also showcased a local French-Korean illustrator who created sketches and watercolors inspired by Chagall's work. The museum is closed Tuesdays and major holidays, and winter hours for opening days mean 10am-5pm instead of 10am-6pm.

This French National Museum is dedicated to a figurative artist of Marc Chagall. Most of the paintings are huge and the museum was built to correctly display such huge pieces. As a smaller and newer museum, it contains an impressive collection. Unless your a student of such arts you may want a guide to help translate the meanings of the paintings to aid in understanding. (I'm a geologist by training and it was very helpful for me.) I'd recommend it if your in Nice.

Free parking and we also arrived on a free entry day so it was a double score. Only downer was that the whole museum was not open to the public. We missed out on the auditorium where the stained glass was housed But we did get to see preparatory drawings, a film on the Chagall creative process behind the Chicago Art Institute instillation, and lots of biblical paintings So well worth a visit and we thank you for the unexpected free entry weekend

If you love the brilliance of Marc Chagall, this museum is a must. So interesting that the museum was created during Chagall's lifetime with the support of the Minister of Culture André Malraux. It was inaugurated in 1973 and was known as "National Museum Marc Chagall Biblical Message" ("Musée national message biblique Marc Chagall"). Many of the themes and images that Chagall explored throughout his lifetime were Biblical. The main exhibit features a series of seventeen oversized canvases given to French people in 1966. This series illustrates the books of Genesis, Exodus and the Song of Songs. Paintings include "The Creation of Man," " Paradise," "Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise," "Abraham and The Three Angels," " Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac," "Noah and the Rainbow" and " Moses Receiving the Tablet of the Law." These paintings are so representative of what Chagall painted throughout his career. Marc Chagall was born in Russia in 1887. He moved throughout his life due to world events, including an escape to the United States due to the Holocaust, but settled in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, which was a popular home for many artists after World War II. His typical painting technique, which drew from many artistic styles, was unique to Chagall. Love the influence of Jewish traditions and Russian folklore that are blended with features of Surrealism and Neo-Primitivism. Certain images such as the sun, rainbows, floating imagery and whimsical folklore are common in his pieces. His artistic journey was so interesting. His colors were so vibrant whether they were on canvas, in stained glass windows, or in mosaics. He left behind a legacy of paintings, engravings, sculptures, stained-glass, enamels and poetry when he died in 1985. Chagall himself provided detailed instructions for the construction of the building, placement of the art and about the creation of a garden. Love the stained-glass windows, mosaic in the garden and hand painted Steinway. Today, the collection has grown and includes videos on the processes that he used to create his beautiful painting and lithographs. So fascinating. Loved being able to see the plates and unfinished works in different phases of the process. The etchings and lithographs are so beautiful. Since Chagall is one of my favorite artists, I included this as a priority on our private tour of Cannes and Nice. The museum is in a neighborhood, but I imagine it can be reached by bus or taxi. The entry was very reasonable at €12. Talk to the docents (or the security guard) for more information. Check the hours. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Went with a handicapped friend. Called before and they confirmed having wheelchairs. When we arrived there was a 40 minute wait to enter. When we asked to be allowed in to get a wheelchair, they wanted us to wait on line because she didn't have a document stating she was handicapped and a US auto disability card wasn't acceptable. So if you are handicapped don't bother going. Not at all kind.

While it's not huge, this is a very well done museum and, significantly, the artist was involved in creating it so it suggests something about his own views of his work. I entered the museum pretty familiar with a smattering of Chagall's works but, in retrospect, without much sense of his overall body of work as an artist. This museum does a good job of showing off dominant themes, styles, and media in his oeuvre so that you walk away with a fuller idea of who he was as a person and artist. The facility is pleasant. There's a decent café/restaurant where you can get a drink and/or a bite to eat as you start or finish your visit. I haven't seen all of the museums in Nice, but I'd guess that this one provides among the best experiences among them.

Beautiful, serene must-see in Nice! If you have a French Riviera pass (which I strongly recommend - ask your hotel concierge) there is no charge. As of December 2023 admission is $8-$10, and I believe admission for children is either heavily discounted or free. This isn't really a family-friendly activity; it is a quiet place for contemplation and introspection. Marc Chagall was inspired by the Old Testament and the Torah, and most of his works are based around religious interpretations. There is a small " café " in the garden - just coffee, but still a good place to relax. The garden has secluded areas for thinking and reading quietly. A gift shop is located in the admissions building and is decently priced. The security is quite intense - be prepared to have your bags checked multiple times.

I absolutely loved the Chagall museum. My favorite part was the main room, where there are a dozen or so biblical murals depicting various scenes from (primarily, I believe) the Old Testament. They are nothing short of breathtaking. Other rooms include some of his illustrations for various books and some of his other drawings and works. The auditorium with the stained is class is definitely something to behold as well. That being said, the Cimiez neighborhood can be a bit far for some to venture to. The one advantage is that the Chagall museum is located in the south of Cimiez, so it is much closer to Nice proper than other attractions such as the Matisse museum and the monastery. I bought the Riviera Pass with the transport option, so I had free admission to the museum. I took the bus (for free with the Riviera Pass), and it was very easy. Definitely worth the visit! Happily, Clayton Cohn P.S. I tried to take a tripod picture of myself outside the museum and one of the docents stopped me and said I was not allowed to do this without prior authorization. Just something to be aware of!

Great museum in Nice. Parking sucks but if you can handle driving in tight streets and be able to squeeze in your Fiat, then you should make your trek to this museum. It's only €10. The audio guide is free so it helps you learn about most of the paintings out on display. They also play a documentary on Marc Chagall every hour, alternating between French and English every other hour.

This was a nice, albeit very small museum but I enjoyed seeing Chagall's paintings. I had never heard of Chagall before but one of our friends recommended this place and after our poor experience at the Modern Art Museum in Nice the day before, this place seemed like a 10 star place (you can read my other review for the Modern Art Museum for more details) The fee for the museum is 10€ which to me seems a bit steep for a museum this small - yes, it comes with an audioguide, but the Guggenheim in Bilbao is also 10€ with an audio guide and much larger, with many more floors, exhibits and audio guides. I liked the paintings, most of them in blues and greens; almost all of them are Biblical in nature, so if you're religious, you'll probably really like this place. For me, I liked the style of art, the colors, and his whimsical depiction of the characters; his drawings almost seemed child-like in nature but in a good way. The audio guides were informative and not mind-numbingly long. The mosaic that is outside and the stained glass are all really unique. They also have classical music concerts once a month in the auditorium with the stained glass which is pretty neat, so you can look that up ahead of time to see if you may be in Nice when that occurs if you'd want to go. I also liked that they had benches in front of a lot of the paintings so you could sit and listen to the audio guide if you were tired. Since most of this is inside, this would be a good place to come on a rainy or really hot day to try to avoid the elements outside. Overall, I liked this museum - it was different than most places, although since it's all one artist, there's not a ton of variety so things start to look the same after a while. If you have some time to kill or want to do something inside, this is a good place to come but I wouldn't necessarily say it's a must-see where you need to change all your plans around to come here.

Amazing paintings and Museum. Parking was horrible but we forgot all about it once we immersed ourselves in the galleries. The museum cafe was also great... get the Samosa salad.... among the best samosas I've had. The museum is small and very manageable. Cost was 20 euros for two adults. Audio guides are available in English. I thought I knew all about Chagall but left with a much deeper understanding.

Best Museum in France! Only €8! I love all the random goats and chickens he paints. I'm weird. (Maybe its not the "Best" museum...but I'm just sick of seeing sculptures and paintings of Jesus dying again and again)

This museum was quite the hike from our hotel. We also weren't anticpating such a hot humid day in the middle of September. The sunblock on my skin was slippery from heat. I also needed to use the restroom very badly. We finally reached the museum and got cleaned up. I walked out into cool air conditioning in a much better state. We got English speaking remote devices that turned out to be our best friend. The museum's walls were stark white. This made Chagall's bright colorful paintings pop. His paintings are so vivid and strong. His art reflects his feelings of love, home, politics, and religion. It's amazing even if you're not a deeply romantic political religious sentimental person. There are so many elements he incorporated in every aspect of every piece he created. Those little devices explained history, inspiration, and techniques used. It deconstructed every major aspect of his paintings. I appreciated the complexity of his art even more. We also saw Chagall's famous circular stained glass window. I remembered seeing it in a book when I was little. I had vowed to see it when I grew up. I was overjoyed the moment I saw it and remembered my vow. I saw a small chapel looking room with colorful stained glass windows. The doorway was roped off, but it was beautiful from where I stood. This was another image I remembered seeing when I was younger. Every piece was powerful and bold. I couldn't stop taking pictures(you can take pics without flash, there's lots of lighting, and the bright colors photograph well). When we were done we checked out their gift shop. I only bought a magnet, but they had a lot of cool Chagall stuff in different languages. If you're in Nice this is a place worth the heat and the hike!

4.5 stars What a great little museum. The grounds are beautiful so spend a little time eating a snack and enjoying a glass of wine at the outdoor cafe prior to going in. The museum is really well design with large open walls and great amounts of light. The museum isn't huge but there is a nice showing of Chagalls work.

We took the bus to get here from our hotel; very simple - drops you off right across the street from the museum entrance. :) Museum was fascinating; entrance fee is pretty heft though (but it includes an audio tour). We spent at least 1.5-2 hours here, just going through all the paintings and listening to the audio guide discuss each painting in detail. My husband really enjoyed the artwork and so did I; lots of Biblical stories behind it. There is a nice garden outside to stroll too...

Spectacular Museum with outstanding layout. The flow works great as do the descriptions and free audio device. The audio particularly adds to the appreciation and insight of Chagall's work. Besides the paintings, the stained glass in the auditorium is beautiful and intricate. The mosaic positioned on the exterior wall of one of the museum's galleries and viewed across the courtyard of an opposite facing gallery's all glass wall was an unexpected treat. Recommend two hours to enjoy the informative audio tour.

The allure of this place is that it's the only museum that was created during the lifetime of an artist. Chagall was involved in the building of this museum, as well as where each painting was placed, and how they were going to flow throughout the rooms. It's a rather small space, with limited pieces compared to what you would normally expect in a larger museum. Much of the descriptions are only available in French, so you're basically stuck with the hearing device that will give you some information. I was a fan of his work in the past, which was partly why I wanted to stop by. For the price that you pay to get in, it's not as big of a bang for your buck compared to other museums I have visited. Either way, it's worth going if your'e a fan, but if not, you may feel that it was not as educational as you would have liked.

If you like Chagall and probably even if you don't you will enjoy this museum. It is an amazing collection of these huge canvases depicting the stories from the Old Testament of the Bible. The main rooms are all Chagall with the surrounding rooms the visiting exhibition. I also liked the stained glass works that were in the theater- although on my visit- the video was only in French (not sure if there is an English language version you can ask for) There is also a small garden upfront with a little cafe where you can grab a coffee and a sandwich. Public transportation (bus) will bring you to the site. If you have a minute- wander around the area. The Hotel Regina is lovely as well as there is the Matisse museum just up the street.

A must visit when in Nice. I didn't know this was here until I arrived, so I made the trek by foot to find the museum. Most if not all of the works are donated by Chagall, so you can't help but be immersed into his life. The short film is worth watching if for nothing else to see the stained glass windows. So beautiful. Other art will just pop out as well and you'll leave with many photos to look at again and again. There is also a small cafe in the courtyard that has some nice food if you want a snack before leaving.

Worth visiting even if you aren't a Chagall fan, though it might be wise to first call ahead to confirm that the entire venue is available to the public. During my particular visit about three-quarters of it was off limits due to reconfiguration. Be prepared to bring cash for speedy admissions processing. Other Yelpers are right to report that the galleries are awash with sunlight; the somber colors of the paintings offer a stark contrast.

A picturesque garden surrounds the musée, whose modern architectural motif admittedly contrasts a bit with the classical works housed inside the structure. Another contradiction was the non-Chagall changing exhibition, which was a modern art exhibit during my visit. Spray painted Vans sneakers on canvas amongst the masterpiece oils of Chagall simply didn't do the modern art pieces justice. There is a splendid amount of color and light, and you are sure to get your Chagall fix here. The collection is truly worth visiting. Don't speak French? Grab one of the translation devices, and leave some extra time for sunning in the garden afterwards.

I started out reluctant to visit this museum during our brief stay in Nice. I am not a huge Chagall fan and was more or less dragged into it by the other members of our party. Wow, am I every glad that they did!! They museum was designed during Chagall's life and he had input into its design and layout. Seeing the evolution of his style and the early influences on his life were interesting, as were the various media that he worked in...do NOT miss the stained glass in the theatre or the mosaic tucked away outside one of the final side rooms. But the heart of the collection are the dozen or so 'biblical' canvases that capture significant scenes from the bible. Stunning. And the final piece is the room with a series of painting based on the Song of Solomon (one of the most beautiful pieces of erotic/love poetry ever created...still amazes me it remained part of the bible) and dedicated by Chagall to his wife. The audio tour is included in the ticket price and is very thorough and informative. Whether or not you like Chagall or even like art museums...do yourself a huge favor and visit this one. Magnificent!

This is a small but very nice museum with a lot of Chagall 's best paintings. This is a must see when you're visiting Nice.

Chagall's spirtually inspired work will move you with his colors and and movement. I think it's definitely worth the price of admission. I noticed some mentioned the hike up to the Cimiez to the museum with no public transit nearby. That's really not true. The museum is off the Boulevard Cimiez and one can take the Bus 15 from centrally located Deloye/Rue Douchage stop and arrive a the Nice - Musée Chagall stop. It's only a short walk from that stop.

The Chagall Museum is stunning. I can't recommend it enough. It was really impressive to see all of the painting collected there together. The colors of the paintings were amazing; everything looked great with the light from the windows and hung upon the white walls of the museum. Then there is the room with all of the stained glass, it is really awe inspiring just to go sit in there for a while. If you are visiting the museum I think it's also worth it to drive around the Cimiez neighborhood a little bit and check out the architecture of the houses and the Hotel Regina, etc.

10 Euro for the tour and the audio guide is free. After visiting the Van Gogh museum, Chagall seemed like a spoiled brat with these huge canvases, vivid use of a lot of colored paint, and this spa-like museum he helped open in his lifetime. He escaped the war by coming to the US and then went back to Europe. This guy was privileged and commissioned as a prestigious artist. All that aside, I appreciated the stories from the Bible and consider it as a form of evangelism when people are listening to the audio guides (even though the English one didn't make sense at times). There's a theater playing a documentary of his life (also, with terrible English translation) but it's a good place to rest before hiking back down to where ever you need to go since there's no public transportation nearby. The neighborhood around the museum is pretty nice. After visiting here, you must also see the dome of the Opera Garnier in Paris. It is stunning.

Wonderful museum in a wonderful building. Didn't know much about Chagall before the visit. This is definitely the place to go for a full immersion experience. Get the audio guide and spend most of your time with the paintings illustrating Chagall's interpretation of the old testament biblical message. Also worth checking out the auditorium, both to see the stained glass windows and to watch the about 45 minute movie about Chagall's life (movie has many interviews with Chagall). Definitely a priority when in Nice (after the beaches and the ice-cream shops of course).

Museum is great. The staff however, in particular Corinne the con artist, were incredibly rude, DISHONEST, and took advantage of foreigners with KIDS, so watch out. I came in with a group of seven students, who were all under 18 and should be granted free entry with proof of identity. I explained that they were under 18 in French (lived in France for nearly a year, worked here, studied here, I TEACH it for gods sake), after which my kids gave her their passports that she VERIFIED with her very own eyes, and she told us that entry would not be free but reduced to 7 euros. Not sure of this policy at first (I was told some museums don't do free entries for non-EU citizens), I asked her again, "alors l'entrée n'est pas gratuite même si elles ont moins de 18 ans?" To which she answered "non, parce que vous n'êtes pas de l'union européenne." So I took her word for it, and told my students that they still had to pay. She would not accept their 20 euro bills and requested exact change because she "didn't have enough change" (bullshit lie #2). When my second group of students came in later with a French friend of mine--we had to take different buses to get there--I found out that they did not have to pay. I returned and clarified with her colleague if my students had to pay. Obviously the answer was no, she called Corinne back, who was looking fairly pissed that she had been caught red-handed. She then insisted that I misinformed her about their age (remember she did check their passports with her own ugly eyeballs), was reluctant to give us a refund although her colleague said she had made a mistake, blamed us for not giving her the right tickets for a refund, and took her sweet ass time to walk outside, find the "right" (imaginary) tickets, and then had the nerve to give us large bills instead of the seven euros she owed each of them individually. I don't get this.. We just spent five minutes looking for exact change and all of a sudden she couldn't "find it". I smell a boatload of ugly, disgusting, disgraceful bullshit. And the annoyed look on her face told me she knew I called her out on it. You should be ashamed of yourself, Corinne. I hope you get the same crappy treatment when you visit California one day. ----- Le musée, c'est beau, mais celle qui travaille à la réception, Corinne, est très rude, malhonnête, et elle profite des étrangers avec des enfants, alors faites gaffe. Je suis rentrée avec 7 élèves de moins de 18 ans, qui devrait pouvoir rentrer gratuitement avec une pièce d'identité. Mes élèves lui ont donné leur passeports qu'elle a vérifiés avec ses propres yeux. Elle m'a dit qu'au lieu d'une entrée gratuite, c'était juste un tarif réduit. Alors comme je savais que des fois les musées n'offrent pas d'entrée gratuite aux personnes sans passeport européen, j'ai vérifié avec elle encore une fois le tarif -18, et mes élèves devaient payer 7 euros. En plus elle "n'avait pas de monnaie" et on s'est bien embêté pour trouver la somme exacte pour Clown Corinne. Quand mon deuxième groupe d'élèves (de la même nationalité) est arrivé plus tard avec un ami français, j'ai appris qu'ils ont eu une entrée gratuite! Même avec la vérification de passeports! DU MÊME PAYS. Bon alors à ce moment-là je suis retournée à la réception où travaillait sa collègue qui était beaucoup plus compétente et beaucoup plus honnête. Elle m'a confirmé qu'il ne fallait pas payer même si on n'était pas européen, parce que les élèves avaient moins de 18 ans. Elle a appelé Corinne qui déjeunait, et qui est retournée avec un air assez stupide et bien énervée parce que tout le monde a bien compris qu'elle a fait une sale arnaque. Bravo. Elle a insisté que je lui ai dit le contraire (que mes élèves avaient plus de 18 ans)..et pourtant je l'ai répété de plusieurs façons ET ELLE A VÉRIFIÉ LES 7 PASSEPORTS! Nul. Après, son histoire inventée c'était qu'on n'avait pas "les bons tickets" pour un remboursement, et elle devait aller les chercher dans son cul pendant 7 minutes (avec un autre collègue à l'entrée du musée). Enfin, elle n'avait plus la monnaie exacte qu'on venait de lui donner..comme par hasard. Elle aime bien faire chier les enfants et leurs profs. J'espère qu'elle viendra un jour aux US, j'ai hâte de lui faire un doigt de "bienvenue". Elle devrait avoir honte, et je suggère que le musée la mette à la porte pour garder une réputation aussi bonne que les œuvres magnifiques qui y sont.

do not leave anything of value in your car in nice. lovely museum with sweet little cafe and gift shop.

I thoroughly enjoyed is museum! Worth the hike and the fee! The modern garden around the museum is also beautiful, adding to the zen feeling evoked by the art inside. The Chagall paintings are huge and there is plenty of seating to sit and surround yourself in dreamlike stories.

A small museum with some excellent sculpture and paintings - but dealing almost exclusively with his biblical inspired works and none of his other works were represented in any significant way. There are better museums in the city.

Top exhibition Chagall is one of the many artists with galleries on the Cotes d'Azur, and absolutely amongst the finest. You can also see some of his work at the Maeght Foundation.

Fantastique! Awesome film about his life and amazing collection! Loved the earphones with a detailed description of most pieces-- in English! We stayed almost three hours! Loved it!

10 euros was a little steep as an entrance fee. The museum is small but is centered around an incredible collection of large biblical paintings that are really spectacular. There are two other small rooms of permanent works that contain some large and small sketches, paintings and even an exterior mosaic. When we visited the exhibit focused on Chagall self-portraits and was very well put together. We ended up watching the movie to expand the experience and we enjoyed it, be careful if you are not a French speaker since the movie is shown in English only a couple times a day. In summary, a small but well designed museum.