Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; ) is a

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

town near

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

department, in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region, in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Geography

Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in southeastern

on the shores of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

between Saint-Laurent-du-Var and

Villeneuve-Loubet Villeneuve-Loubet (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It lies between Cagnes-sur-Mer and Antibes, at the mouth of the river Loup, ten kilometres west of ...

. The largest suburb of

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionChâteau Grimaldi was established by Rainier Grimaldi at the top of a hill in the area now known as "Haut-de-Cagnes" in 1309. A quite separate coastal area, known as "Cros-de-Cagnes", was developed by fishermen, who came twice a year from

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

, in the late 18th century. The Hôtel de Ville was established in the "Les Logis" area, which developed in the 19th century. The town was the retreat and final address of the

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

painter

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

, who moved there in 1907 in an attempt to improve his

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

and remained there until his death in 1919. In the late 1920s, Cagnes-sur-Mer became a residence for many American renowned literary and art figures, such as Katie Boyle,

George Antheil George Johann Carl Antheil ( ; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of the ear ...

, and Harry and Caresse Crosby. The Belgian author

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 ...

(1903–1989), creator of the fictional detective ''Commissaire Jules Maigret'', lived at 98 montée de la Bourgade in the 1950s with his third wife and their three children; his initial "S" may still be seen in the wrought iron on the stairs. The Parisian artist, poet, and philosopher Georges Charaire had a home in Cagnes for many years. Creating his lithographs in the former studio of

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

and also as a co-founder of the théâtre du Tertre in

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

, Charaire had a great influence on French art and thought in the 20th century and helped his friend

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...

with his first plays at the théâtre du Tertre. Charaire kept his second home in Cagnes-sur-Mer until his death in 2001. The Belarusian-French artist Chaïm Soutine created powerful and fanciful landscapes of southern France. A friend of

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (; ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor of the École de Paris who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern art, modern style characterized by a surre ...

, Soutine left colourful landscapes from Cagnes starting in 1924. The Spanish Fauvist painter Francisco Iturrino also lived in the town, where he died. The town may have been an inspiration for Henri-Edmond Cross (1856–1910), the Neo-Impressionist artist who painted ''Cypresses at Cagnes'' (1908).

Population

Sights

Places of interest include Renoir's estate, ''Les Collettes'', surrounded by olive trees; the medieval

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

at ''le Haut-de-Cagnes''; and the ''Cros'' area, which was founded by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

fishermen in the 19th century. The town is also known for its horse-racing venue, the Hippodrome de la Côte d'Azur, as well as for its 4 km (2 mi) beach.

Transport

The Gare de Cagnes-sur-Mer is a railway station that offers local services to Nice and

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

International relations

The commune is twinned with: *

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

(

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 1973)

Photo gallery

File:Cros-de-Cagnes.jpg, Cros-de-Cagnes File:Pierre-Auguste Renoir 062.jpg, ''Landscape near Cagnes'', by

File:The Vineyards at Cagnes Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1908.jpg, ''The Vineyards at Cagnes'' by

, 1908.

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

File:The Castle in Haut-de-Cagnes.jpg, The Grimaldi castle museum in Haut-de-Cagnes File:Cagnes hotel de ville.JPG, The Hôtel de Ville

References

External links

Official website

Official tourism website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagnes-Sur-Mer Cagnessurmer Alpes-Maritimes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia