Calling All Artists

May 9, 2023

Saint-Paul de Vence in France is well known as a beloved gathering place for artists.  Yet, it has a rich history and heritage.  The village’s past as a military border stronghold from the 14th to 19th centuries is reflected in its walls and Tour de l’Esperon tower.  In medieval times, it was a prosperous village and home to nobles and bourgeois families.  

     In the 20th century, the village started to attract artists.  In 1932, Paul Roux, the son of a local farmer, and his wife Titine transformed an old building into a three-rooms inn and renamed it La Colombe d’Or.  The inn attracted filmmakers, a young Pablo Picasso and many other creative lights. Roux often accommodated his artist friends (many were still little known) in exchange for their artworks. Thus, he gained an extraordinary collection of drawings and paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Miro and Léger. Gradually, La Colombe d’Or became a de facto museum and cultural center.  

     Marc Chagall, a Jewish Russian and French painter, and his wife Vava settled in Saint-Paul in 1966.  They built a large villa, La Colline, just on the edge of the village.  Many of Chagall's paintings at that time were "vibrant odes to love, loving couples entwined against calm blue skies," surrounded by birds and flowers and floating over the village and its ramparts.  Chagall died in 1985 and is buried in the village cemetery.  

     James Baldwin, the American writer and humorist, moved to Saint Paul de Vence in 1970 and spent the last 17 years of his life there. It is where he entertained his many prestigious painter, singer and comedian friends, including Beauford Delaney, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitiers, Nina Simone, Josephine Baker, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Yves Montand and Simone Signore.  Like Chagall, Baldwin died in the village.

     Saint-Paul is a village filled with creative energies and well worth a visit. 

For more information, go to: https://www.saint-pauldevence.com/en/