Paris

From Valbonne to BIOT, along the D 4 is just a formality. BIOT is a picturesque village (pronounce " biotte"). The main attraction site here is of course the world known MUSEE NATIONAL FERNAND LEGER, but we will first stay a moment in the village.
This village can be resumed in a few words: an old village on a hill with pottery craftsmanship and glassblowers, narrow lanes and inclined "ruelles"that house the Biot citizens in quiet retreat from the tourist oriented main streets and shops. It’s not without charm. Everywhere you see large decorative pots filled with flowers, standing on balconies, walls and gardens. The large stone urns you see sometimes in the gardens of all villages along the coast. Steep ahead you can climb to the quite special Place des Arcades where you can have a lunch at the Gallerie des Arcades. Menu prix fixe at lunch: 170 FF. Taste their specialty, the "aioli".
I know you like a bit of history ;-);-) so here is some. Biot is one of these Roman oppida built more than 100 B.C. and “cleaned “from Celts and Ligurians. The charming place des Arcades is built on roman ruins. The Romans already exploited the fine clay to manufacture jars for the wine and oil transport.
Biot also shivered under the plague epidemics and became a sea pirates nest until the “Bon Roi René” rebuilt the city from scratch and populated it with pottery bakers from Italy. The actual street outlining dates from the 15th century. In 1700 the bishop of Grasse ordered to erase the frescoes of the church for indecency...Quite surprising, as you have to go downstairs to have a chance to see them.
An interesting museum for those who like ceramics is the museum of the HISTORY AND CERAMICS OF BIOT, nice collection and guided visits.
On the chemin du Val-de -Pome, for those who appreciate bonsais, you can visit the Bonsai Arboretum. More than 50000 bonsais on 4000 square meters.
And finally, like usual, to have the full profit of the charm of the village, try to go early in the morning or in the evening, when the tourists have left.
The MUSEE NATIONAL FERNAND LEGER is at 3 km from the seaside, at the right hand side before entering the village. It stands on the spot where the painter bought, two weeks before he died in 1955 a large “mas” with the intention to make very large ceramics on the grounds around the mas. Thanks to the stubborn and insisting efforts of Leger’s widow Nadia, the museum was finally accepted. Designed and opened in 1960 by architect André Svetchine, a contemporary artist of Leger, Braque, Picasso and Chagall. The first museum in France dedicated to a single artist. During the stirring climb from the parking spot to the main entrance we have plenty of time to study the gigantic ceramic on the façade and that was originally destined to a sports stadium in Hannover. In my opinion this is the weakest side of this splendid museum: the ceramic leans to heavily on the substructure of short stilts and makes me think of an enormous advertising board along the road.
In 1967 the building and its collection was bequeathed from Nadia Leger to the French State and since 1991 everybody can visit the 347 works that Leger left to his wife. It must be said that the inside architecture of Svetchine is impressive. It is very seldom that a painter receives so much honour, where the question rises of course: is this work worth all the fuss around?
Next article a few anecdotes about Leger’s life, Picasso and Rostropovitch.

Bibliography:

John Pemble, "the Mediterranean Passion, Victorians and Edwardians in the South", (Oxford University Press 1988), Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Patrick Howarth, “When the Riviera was ours” (Century, London 1977, Peter Graham, “La France par les petites routes” (Ed.Arthaud 1988), “Fernand Leger, vie et oeuvres”, by Fr.Berliner (ed.Presses Univ. 1996)

Fernand Leger- his museum

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