Palais Maeterlinck: From Abandoned Riviera Palace to an Exclusive Luxury Residence

 

Perched above the Mediterranean on Nice’s dramatic Cap de Nice, the Palais Maeterlinck has witnessed a remarkable succession of fortunes. Conceived as a grand private residence, it became the home of a Nobel Prize-winning writer, fell into decades of neglect, re-emerged as a luxury hotel and was eventually transformed into an exclusive residential development.

Today, the property stands as one of the French Riviera’s most intriguing architectural landmarks, its history revealing a side of the Côte d’Azur that extends well beyond its familiar image of glamour and prosperity.

An Ambitious Project on the Cap de Nice

In the early twentieth century, Nice was attracting wealthy visitors from Britain and across northern Europe, many of whom built grand villas along the Mediterranean coast. The Cap de Nice was particularly appealing, offering privacy, elevated sea views and convenient access to Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer and Monaco.

British owners Edward Lionel and Mabel Zoe Walker-Munro acquired the property in 1904. Plans for an imposing residence were submitted in 1913 by architects William Romaine-Walker and Gilbert Jenkins, with construction progressing after the First World War.

The project was never completed as originally intended. Following Edward Walker-Munro’s death in 1920, its momentum faded, and the property passed to Count Léon de Miléant in 1925. He envisioned creating a casino to rival Monte-Carlo, but that ambitious scheme also failed to materialise.

The unfinished building, then known as Castellamare, was eventually put up for sale.

Maurice Maeterlinck creates Villa Orlamonde

In 1930, Belgian playwright and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Maurice Maeterlinck purchased the property for a reported two million francs. Rather than pursuing the casino concept, he undertook extensive renovations to create a magnificent private residence.

He renamed it Villa Orlamonde, drawing on the imaginative world of his literary work, and shared the property with his partner, actress Renée Dahon. They moved in during 1933.

The renovated villa featured monumental reception rooms, elaborate interiors, gardens and terraces overlooking the Mediterranean. Its secluded position offered privacy, while its scale reflected the extravagant domestic architecture associated with the Riviera’s wealthiest residents.

Under Maeterlinck, the property acquired a cultural significance that distinguished it from other grand coastal residences. It was both a private retreat and a setting for the social life surrounding one of Europe’s most celebrated literary figures.

War, Death and Abandonment

The Second World War disrupted life at Villa Orlamonde. Maeterlinck and Dahon went into exile, eventually living in the United States, while the property suffered damage, looting and deterioration.

They returned in 1946, and restoration work followed. Maeterlinck died at the villa in 1949, but Dahon continued living there until her death in 1969.

Afterwards, the building was abandoned. Without sustained maintenance, its once-grand interiors deteriorated further, leaving a striking contrast between the decaying structure and its spectacular Mediterranean setting.

 

Photographs from this period reveal the scale of the loss: rooms designed for elegant entertaining were left neglected, while the building’s architectural features gradually succumbed to the passage of time.

Images taken in December 1979, preserved in France’s regional heritage archives, document the property before redevelopment. They include views of the hall, winter garden, first-floor salon and southern façade.

These photographs are particularly valuable because they capture the building at a moment when its future remained uncertain. Later images circulated online, including on Flickr, helping establish the Palais Maeterlinck’s reputation among photographers and urban explorers fascinated by abandoned architecture.

From Abandoned Residence to Luxury Hotel

 

A property company acquired the estate in 1980, and subsequent work remodelled the building and divided it into luxury apartments.

Swiss businessman Henri-Ferdinand Lavanchy later assembled interests in the property and developed it into a luxury hotel associated with the Beaumont club concept. The Palais Maeterlinck opened as a hotel around 1990.

Its location offered a distinctive alternative to the larger hotels in central Nice: a secluded setting above the sea, historic architecture and an atmosphere of residential exclusivity.

However, the hotel’s life was relatively short. It closed in 2008, leaving the building ready for another transformation.

Beneath the Palais Maeterlinck: A Forgotten Gay Cruising and Naturist Beach

While the Palais Maeterlinck stood abandoned above the Mediterranean following the death of Renée Dahon in 1969, another story was unfolding at sea level, around the rocky shoreline and the boat-docking area below the property.

For gay men in Nice, this secluded stretch of coastline became a place to escape the conventions of everyday life, meet other men and enjoy a degree of freedom that was not always easy to find elsewhere. The rocks and waterside platforms were associated with nude bathing and male cruising, with the location developing a reputation among those who knew where to go.

The contrast was striking. Above, the once-grand residence of Nobel Prize-winning writer Maurice Maeterlinck was deteriorating, its interiors succumbing to neglect. Below, the shoreline served a very different community, offering an informal gathering place where men could sunbathe naked, swim and discreetly make connections away from the more visible parts of Nice.

This was an era when LGBTQ+ social life often depended on unofficial meeting places rather than openly identifiable venues. Before the proliferation of gay bars, cruising establishments and more visible LGBTQ+ spaces, beaches, parks and secluded coastal locations played an important role in the social history of gay men across Europe. The shoreline beneath the Palais Maeterlinck formed part of that less-documented history of Nice.

According to local beach-history accounts, the rocky area had a longstanding association with male naturism, and its reputation as a predominantly gay naturist location continued into the late twentieth century. The development of the Palais Maeterlinck estate during the 1980s and its opening as a hotel in 1990 did not immediately erase the area’s established identity. The waterside location remained associated with nude bathing and cruising well into the 1990s.

For those who remember Nice’s gay scene during that period, the location represents a chapter of local LGBTQ+ life that is rarely mentioned in conventional accounts of the city’s architecture or luxury tourism. It was not a gay beach in the modern, officially designated sense. Rather, its reputation grew through word of mouth, personal encounters and the shared knowledge of those familiar with the coastline.

A Reported €48 Million Acquisition and A New Future

In 2012, Czech property investor Radovan Vítek acquired the property for a reported €48 million through interests associated with CPI. A major redevelopment followed, with the intention of converting the former hotel into an exclusive residential complex.

The project marked a fundamental change in the property’s purpose. Instead of accommodating hotel guests, the development was designed for private residents seeking exceptional views, privacy and a prestigious address on the French Riviera.

The work involved substantial architectural intervention, so today’s complex should not be confused with the original Villa Orlamonde as Maeterlinck knew it. Nevertheless, the site’s history and extraordinary position remain central to its identity.

What is the Palais Maeterlinck Today?

The Palais Maeterlinck is now a private luxury residential development at 30 boulevard Maurice-Maeterlinck on the Cap de Nice. It is no longer a hotel open to the public, and its private interiors and facilities are generally inaccessible to visitors.

Its transformation illustrates the enduring appeal of exceptional Riviera real estate, where location, privacy and views can sustain a property’s value even as its purpose changes.

It also raises an important question about architectural preservation. Redevelopment can secure the future of a historic building, but it may involve significant changes to its original structure and interiors. At the Palais Maeterlinck, the survival of the site as an exclusive address has come with the loss of much of the domestic world created by Maeterlinck.

A Riviera Landmark with an Extraordinary Past

The Palais Maeterlinck’s story encompasses architectural ambition, literary distinction, wartime disruption, abandonment, hospitality and luxury real estate. Few properties on the Côte d’Azur have passed through so many different identities.

Its abandoned years remain a particularly striking chapter, exposing the vulnerability of even the grandest buildings. Its present incarnation reflects the continuing demand for exceptional private residences along the Mediterranean.

Yet the property’s fascination lies in more than its current prestige. Behind its contemporary identity is the story of an unfinished villa, a writer’s cherished home and a once-forgotten landmark whose history continues to offer a revealing glimpse into the changing fortunes of the French Riviera.

Inside the Legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo: A New Assouline Book Celebrates Monaco’s Icon of Glamour

 

Few buildings capture the glamour, history and unmistakable identity of Monaco quite like the Casino de Monte-Carlo. Now, one of the Principality’s most celebrated landmarks takes centre stage in a new luxury publication from Assouline, offering readers an opportunity to explore the architecture, artistry and extraordinary history behind its legendary reputation.

Titled Casino de Monte-Carlo: The Grand Art of Gaming, the book is written by Charlotte Lubert-Notari, Heritage Manager at the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM). Drawing on historical archives and contemporary photography, the publication takes readers beyond the Casino’s famous façade to discover the interiors, artistic details and cultural influences that have shaped its place in Monaco’s history.

The Casino’s origins date back to the 19th century, when François Blanc, the businessman and property developer behind its development, helped transform Monte-Carlo into an international destination. His vision extended well beyond gaming tables. Grand hotels, landscaped gardens, cultural performances and prestigious social gatherings were all part of a wider ambition to create a destination that would attract an international clientele seeking entertainment, refinement and luxury.

That vision helped establish the foundations of the Monte-Carlo we recognise today, with the Casino becoming one of its defining symbols.

Architecture plays a central role in the new book, including the contributions of Charles Garnier, the celebrated architect responsible for Paris’s Palais Garnier opera house. His influence helped give the Casino an architectural presence worthy of its ambitions, while generations of artists, sculptors, architects and decorators continued to develop its interiors.

Readers are taken through some of the building’s most distinctive spaces, including the monumental Atrium, Salle Europe, Salon Rose, Salle des Amériques and Salle Blanche. Each room has its own character, revealing layers of artistic detail and the evolution of the Casino across different periods.

The result is a portrait of a building that has never been simply about gambling. Its lavish surroundings, carefully designed spaces and connection to Monaco’s social life have made it an enduring expression of the Principality’s cultural and architectural identity.

The Casino’s international reputation has also been reinforced by its appearances on the silver screen. Its cinematic credentials include Never Say Never Again (1983), GoldenEye (1995) and Ocean’s Twelve (2004), films that helped carry its unmistakable setting to audiences around the world. Even Kylie Minogue filmed part of the video, On A Night Like This in the Casino.

 

Alongside contemporary images of the Casino, the publication features historical photographs drawn from the Société des Bains de Mer archives. These images offer a glimpse into Monaco’s international social scene throughout the 20th century, documenting an era in which Monte-Carlo became synonymous with elegant gatherings, high society and Mediterranean sophistication.

 

Published by Assouline, whose illustrated books are known for their distinctive presentation and appeal to collectors, Casino de Monte-Carlo: The Grand Art of Gaming brings together architectural history, visual storytelling and the heritage of one of Europe’s most recognisable luxury destinations.

 

For admirers of Monaco, architecture and the art of luxury living, the book offers more than a photographic celebration of an iconic building. It explores how the Casino helped shape the identity of Monte-Carlo itself, where entertainment, hospitality, culture and design became inseparable from the destination’s international appeal.

 

More than a century after its beginnings, the Casino de Monte-Carlo remains a defining presence in the Principality. This new Assouline publication celebrates not only its remarkable interiors and enduring glamour, but also the ambitious vision that helped put Monte-Carlo on the world stage.

Behind the Luxury: Louis Vuitton, Rue Paradis and the Wartime History of Nice

 

From a pioneering luggage shop opened in 1908 to a street barricaded against enemy advances during the Second World War, the story of one of Nice’s best-known luxury shopping locations reaches far beyond the world of fashion.

Today, Rue Paradis is synonymous with luxury shopping. Just steps from the Mediterranean, tucked into the elegant streets of central Nice, it is home to international brands, fashionable boutiques and the familiar signs of the French Riviera’s enduring relationship with wealth and glamour.

At the corner of Rue Paradis and Avenue de Suède stands the Louis Vuitton boutique, a destination for shoppers who come in search of the brand’s handbags, luggage, accessories and other luxury goods. It is easy to walk past without giving much thought to the history surrounding it. Yet the story of Louis Vuitton in Nice stretches back more than a century, to a time when the city was establishing itself as one of Europe’s great destinations for international travellers.

And during the Second World War, the streets around this fashionable shopping district belonged to a very different world.

A Luxury Brand Arrives on the Riviera

Louis Vuitton first opened a boutique in Nice in 1908, at 12 Avenue de Verdun. The company had already established its reputation for quality trunks and travel luggage, products particularly suited to an era when wealthy travellers journeyed across Europe with substantial wardrobes and belongings.

The French Riviera was an ideal setting for such a business. Nice attracted aristocrats, industrialists, artists and affluent visitors from Britain, Russia and elsewhere in Europe. Its grand hotels, elegant villas and winter season had made the city internationally renowned, while its mild climate and Mediterranean setting continued to draw visitors seeking a fashionable escape.

For a company built around the art of travel, Nice was a natural place to establish a presence.

In those days, luxury luggage was not simply an accessory. Trunks were essential possessions, often custom-made to accommodate clothing, personal effects and the practical demands of long journeys. Quality, craftsmanship and reputation mattered enormously, and the Louis Vuitton name was already becoming associated with a particular standard of travel.

The Nice boutique had been trading for more than three decades when the Second World War began in September 1939. Its history was therefore already woven into the commercial life of the city long before the war transformed the Riviera.

When the Riviera’s Glamour Gave Way to War

The declaration of war in 1939 did not immediately turn Nice into a battlefield. However, the conflict gradually changed the character of the city, affecting international travel, trade and everyday life.

France’s defeat in 1940 brought the establishment of the Vichy regime and a new political reality. Nice initially remained outside direct German military occupation, although the region was subject to the wider pressures and discriminatory policies of wartime France.

In November 1942, Italian troops occupied Nice and the surrounding region. During this period, the area became a refuge for many Jewish people escaping persecution elsewhere in Europe. The policies of the Italian occupation authorities in this region differed in important respects from those of the Vichy administration and the Germans, although the Italian regime itself was Fascist and antisemitic.

That relative refuge ended abruptly in September 1943.

Following Italy’s armistice with the Allies, German forces moved into the region. On 10 September, SS officer Alois Brunner arrived in Nice with a unit tasked with arresting and deporting Jewish people. The subsequent round-ups brought terror to the city. Thousands were arrested, and many were sent through Drancy before deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Nice’s streets, hotels and railway station became part of this terrible history. Behind the familiar architecture and elegant façades, people were hiding, fleeing, searching for safety or facing arrest.

The Riviera was no longer simply a destination for those seeking sunshine and luxury. It was a place where survival could depend on remaining unseen, finding refuge with others or escaping before the authorities arrived.

Rue Paradis: A Street Closed Against the Enemy

One of the most striking reminders of wartime Nice lies in the history of Rue Paradis itself.

Today, the name suggests shopping, fashion and an easy stroll through the city centre. During the war, however, the street was barricaded off, forming part of the defensive measures intended to restrict movement and prevent enemy forces from advancing farther into the city.

Personal historical photographs accompanying this article show Rue Paradis blocked by a substantial barrier. The images offer a remarkable contrast with the street as it appears today, where shoppers move freely between boutiques and the city’s commercial life continues much as visitors would expect.

The wartime barrier was not merely an inconvenience or a temporary street closure. It belonged to a period in which the control of roads and access points could become a matter of military necessity. Barricades, anti-tank obstacles and defensive positions were used in different parts of Nice and along the Riviera to impede movement and protect strategic locations.

Historical material concerning Nice in 1944 also documents a striking defensive construction on Rue Paradis: a wall designed to resemble an ordinary continuation of the street through the use of trompe-l’œil painting. The illusion concealed the obstruction, making the street appear to extend farther than it actually did. A surviving historical photograph records an artist working on this painted perspective.

The use of such a technique is a fascinating reminder that wartime defences did not always resemble conventional fortifications. Concealment, deception and the manipulation of what an approaching person could see could be as important as the physical barrier itself.

The precise circumstances and date of the barricade shown in the accompanying photographs deserve to be considered alongside the relevant local records. Nevertheless, the images provide an unusually direct connection between the familiar streets of modern Nice and the city’s wartime landscape.

For anyone who knows Rue Paradis as a luxury shopping destination, the transformation is extraordinary. A street now associated with desirable possessions and international brands once formed part of a city struggling to control access and protect itself during a period of occupation and conflict.

A City Under Occupation

The German occupation brought a particularly brutal chapter to Nice.

The round-ups of Jewish residents and refugees were among the darkest events in the city’s history. The Hôtel Excelsior, close to the railway station, became a centre for the processing of Jewish people arrested by Brunner’s unit before their transfer to Drancy and subsequent deportation.

At the same time, networks of local people worked to protect those in danger. Among them were Moussa Abadi and Odette Rosenstock, whose clandestine rescue network helped save hundreds of Jewish children by arranging hiding places with families and religious institutions.

Their work demonstrates that the history of wartime Nice was not only one of persecution and fear, but also of courage, solidarity and resistance.

The city’s eventual liberation came in August 1944. On 28 August, an uprising against the German occupation broke out in Nice. Members of the French Resistance, supported by civilians, fought at strategic locations throughout the city. Barricades were erected, access routes were blocked, and fighting took place in several neighbourhoods.

German forces withdrew, and Nice was liberated.

The city’s wartime history therefore encompasses several different uses of barricades and defensive obstacles: measures imposed by occupying forces, fortifications designed to defend strategic positions, and barricades constructed by the Resistance during the struggle for liberation. Establishing the exact circumstances of an individual barrier is important, because these structures could serve very different purposes at different moments in the conflict.

The photographs of Rue Paradis are especially valuable in this respect. They give readers a visual starting point for investigating the street’s precise role in the city’s wartime defences and provide a tangible link to a period that can otherwise seem distant from the Riviera we know today.

What Happened to Louis Vuitton During the War?

An obvious question follows: what happened to the Louis Vuitton boutique during those years?

The store had been operating in Nice since 1908, but the precise wartime history of its original premises at 12 Avenue de Verdun remains unconfirmed in the historical material consulted for this article.

There is currently no verified evidence establishing whether the shop remained open throughout the occupation, temporarily closed, suffered damage or had its premises or merchandise requisitioned. It would be tempting to connect the barricaded streets directly to the boutique’s experience, but the available evidence does not establish such a link.

What can be said is that the business was operating in a city whose commercial life was profoundly affected by war. International travel was disrupted, occupation authorities controlled movement, shortages affected daily life, and the persecution of Jewish people transformed the lives of thousands of residents and refugees.

The distinction matters. A historical account should not confuse the documented experience of a city with assumptions about the fate of a particular business. The wartime story of the Nice boutique remains an avenue for further research, including examination of corporate archives, contemporary commercial directories and local administrative records.

There is, however, an interesting comparison elsewhere in the company’s history. Louis Vuitton’s historic London premises at 149 New Bond Street were requisitioned during the Second World War and were never subsequently operated by the company again. That episode is documented, but it should not be taken as evidence that the same thing happened in Nice.

From Avenue de Verdun to the Corner of Rue Paradis

The Louis Vuitton boutique eventually moved from its original Avenue de Verdun address to the corner of Avenue de Suède and Rue Paradis during the 1960s, bringing the shop closer to the seafront.

The company had entered a very different era. Postwar travel, international tourism and the expansion of luxury retail were reshaping the Riviera. Nice was rebuilding its international reputation, and the streets around its central shopping district increasingly reflected the changing expectations of affluent visitors and residents.

The present boutique is located at 2 Avenue de Suède, at the corner of 1 Rue Paradis. French business records identify a registered establishment at the current address dating from 30 September 1988, although that registration date does not establish the precise opening date or prove uninterrupted occupation from the 1960s.

The distinction between the three dates is worth preserving: Louis Vuitton first opened in Nice in 1908; the shop reportedly moved to its present location during the 1960s; and the current establishment has a documented registration dating from 1988.

Together, these milestones trace a remarkable commercial history spanning the Belle Époque, two world wars, the postwar revival of tourism and the modern luxury-shopping era.

Looking Beyond the Shopfront

There is something compelling about discovering how much history can be concealed behind an ordinary walk through a city.

A visitor standing outside Louis Vuitton today sees an elegant boutique in one of Nice’s established luxury shopping streets. A century ago, the company’s first local shop was already serving the needs of travellers arriving on the Riviera. During the Second World War, the same part of the city existed within a very different reality, when access routes could be barricaded, military positions established and streets transformed by occupation and conflict.

The contrast is particularly striking when photographs from the period are placed alongside images of the street today. The architecture may remain recognisable, but the meaning of the place has changed dramatically.

Rue Paradis is now associated with shopping, craftsmanship and the international appeal of Nice. Its wartime barricade recalls a time when the city’s streets were also strategic spaces, where movement could be restricted and the outcome of a conflict could be felt at street level.

The Louis Vuitton boutique’s history in Nice is therefore about more than a luxury brand’s longevity. It provides a starting point for exploring the city’s transformation over more than a century: from the Riviera’s golden age of travel to occupation and liberation, and finally to the prosperous international destination that residents and visitors recognise today.

The next time you pass the corner of Avenue de Suède and Rue Paradis, it is worth remembering that the history of this location extends well beyond its shop windows. Beneath the familiar signs of modern luxury lies a story of changing times, a city at war and streets whose past can still be glimpsed through the photographs that survived.

Joelle’s Art Salon Exposition No. 1: A New Artistic Gathering Comes to Nice

 

Nice’s contemporary art scene will gain a new gathering this month as Joelle’s Art Salon Exposition No. 1 brings together an international group of artists for an exhibition at NEO VogelART in the city’s Port district.

Organised by Joelle Meissner, the inaugural salon will take place from 16 to 29 October 2026 at NEO VogelART LAB, 6 bis rue Lascaris, Nice.

The exhibition is intended to be more than simply a display of individual works. NEO describes the first salon as an initiative organised by Meissner that brings together different forms of artistic expression while creating a living space around art, encouraging encounters, exchange and sharing.

Meissner herself has issued a warm invitation to the Riviera’s artistic community and the public:

“I warmly invite you to Joelle’s Art Salon Exposition No. 1.”

That personal invitation is very much in keeping with the idea of an art salon — a gathering built around artists, conversation and creative exchange as much as the works themselves.

Opening Night with Soprano Magdalena Motyl

The official opening will take place on Friday, 16 October from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Adding a live performance element to the evening will be Magdalena Motyl, soprano lyrique. The opening programme will also feature an address by Laurence Navalesi.

The combination of visual art and live performance is particularly appropriate for the salon concept. Rather than treating the gallery simply as a place to view paintings, the evening creates an opportunity for different artistic disciplines to intersect.

For visitors, the vernissage promises to be a distinctly social occasion, bringing artists, collectors, art lovers and the wider Nice cultural community together at the beginning of the exhibition.

An International Group of Artists

The salon brings together an impressive and diverse list of artists:

Joana Bruno, Tom Bühren, Robert Cadière, Kiddy Citny, Diane Detalle, Ayse Domeniconi, Harald Gottschling, Julia Heine-Saabel, Mireille Khazaka, André Laurenti, Linda Leeb, Lo Graf von Blickensdorf, MULIA, Jacques Savino, Marcela Svaton, Silva Usta, Tatiana Yastrebova and Eliel.

The breadth of names reflects the international character of NEO’s programme and of the contemporary art community developing around the venue.

Several of the participating artists have previously been associated with exhibitions at NEO, making this salon part of an ongoing network of artistic relationships rather than an isolated event.

For Meissner, however, this exhibition represents something slightly different: she is stepping into the role of organiser and host, bringing artists together under the banner of her own salon.

Joelle Meissner and the Riviera

Meissner is an established presence within the contemporary art community of the French Riviera.

Her practice is strongly associated with expressive colour, gesture and the human figure. Her work has been described in terms of emotional expression and an exploration of the relationship between colour, intuition and the inner world.

There is also a particularly interesting historical connection to Nice surrounding her work. Meissner has worked from a studio with a connection to Henri Matisse, adding another intriguing layer to her relationship with a city whose artistic history has attracted painters and creators for generations.

Her work has appeared in exhibitions in Monaco and Nice, including programmes involving other artists who will participate in the October salon.

In 2025, for example, Meissner participated in the Art Comité Monaco programme with Le Cri, a large acrylic work. She has also participated in exhibitions at NEO, including Art to the Rhythm of the Waves.

The October salon therefore represents both a continuation of Meissner’s own artistic presence on the Riviera and a new chapter in her involvement with the wider creative community.

NEO: a Fitting Home for a New Art Salon

The venue itself has an interesting story.

NEO – art & culture lab x VogelART is located at 6 bis rue Lascaris, in Nice’s increasingly vibrant Port district. The venue is close to Place Garibaldi, Place du Pin, the harbour and the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain.

NEO grew out of VogelART Edition’s earlier pop-up exhibitions in Nice. Those projects began in 2022 and were followed by further pop-ups in 2023, eventually leading to the creation of a permanent cultural space.

The venue occupies a former workshop used for producing advertising panels and neon signs. After extensive renovation, it became a more than 300-square-metre industrial-style cultural space. Even the name NEO pays homage to the building’s neon-sign history while signalling its new life as a centre for contemporary art and culture.

That industrial, flexible environment lends itself particularly well to a project such as Joelle’s Art Salon, where painting, performance, literary events and other forms of artistic expression can coexist.

More than an Exhibition

There is also a literary component to the programme.

On Wednesday, 28 October, the salon will host a presentation of a book by Larissa Kikol, scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., adding another dimension to the programme.

This is perhaps where the idea behind Joelle’s Art Salon becomes most apparent. The project isn’t being positioned solely around selling or displaying artworks. It is creating a space where artists, music, literature, conversation and audiences can overlap.

That approach has a particular resonance on the French Riviera, where the history of artistic salons, studios and informal creative communities is almost as important as the museums and major institutions.

Visit Joelle’s Art Salon Exposition No. 1

The exhibition runs from 16 to 29 October 2026.

Joelle’s Art Salon Exposition No. 1
NEO art & culture lab x VogelART
6 bis rue Lascaris
06300 Nice

Opening reception:
Friday, 16 October 2026
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Performance:
Magdalena Motyl, soprano lyrique

Exhibition:
16–29 October 2026
Open from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The salon offers a chance to see a substantial group of contemporary artists in one setting while also experiencing something that can sometimes be missing from the conventional gallery experience: the sense of an artistic community actually coming together.

And with Joelle Meissner taking the initiative to bring that community together, the first edition of the salon could mark the beginning of an interesting new addition to Nice’s already remarkably diverse cultural calendar.