cover-istock-174325336.jpg
©People Images
2025

Major summer exhibitions

on the Côte d'Azur!
  1. Home
  2. Things to do
  3. Art and culture
  4. Major summer exhibitions in 2025 on the Côte d’Azur!

This summer, culture takes center stage under the Côte d’Azur sun, with more than twenty must-see exhibitions. From Monaco to Hyères, via Nice and Cannes, set off on an artistic tour that celebrates the history and culture of the Côte d’Azur through artists whose stories are sometimes deeply linked with the destination.

This year, echoing the 3ᵉ United Nations Conference on the Ocean to be held in Nice in 2025, several exhibitions explore the theme of the sea and the ocean, highlighting their beauty, their richness but also the environmental issues linked to them. An artistic and committed immersion, between heritage and contemporary perspective.

1- Destination Monaco and surrounding area

Destination Monaco From July 8 to August 31, 2025, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco opens its doors to you for an exceptional exhibition:“COULEURS! Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou“. Discover color in all its forms through a selection of works from the Centre Pompidou collections. From Kandinsky to Delaunay, from Klein to Richter, a veritable artistic rainbow unfolds before your eyes. A sensory and visual journey that invites you to rethink the perception of color in modern art.

From May 26 to December 24, 2025, the Musée Océanographique in Monaco will be hosting an exhibition that is as striking as it is necessary:“Méditerranée 2050“, a space-time immersion that plunges you into the heart of the possible futures of today’s threatened Mediterranean. Each room is an invitation to engage in thoughtful reflection, but also a sensitive experience, where the beauty of the works of art meets the rigor of the data and the poetry of the imaginary. Here, art and science are not opposed, but unite to convey an essential message: that of responsibility, action and the possibility of reinventing our relationship with the sea.

See this post on Instagram

A publication shared by Musée océanographique Monaco (@oceanomonaco)

See this post on Instagram

A publication shared by Villa Kerylos (@villakerylosofficiel)

Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu-sur-Mer for an exceptional artistic exploration with the“L’Or du Temps” exhibition. From May 18 to September 21, 2025, this residence inspired by ancient Greece becomes the stage for a meeting between heritage and contemporary creation.

Visual artist Gabriel Léger unveils a series of original works, specially designed to interact with the architecture and soul of the site. Wood, light, water, fire: all natural elements that the artist sublimates to question the passage of time and highlight what remains, what touches us, what resists.

Her poetic, sensitive installations weave a profound link between memory and modernity, between the ephemeral and the eternal. An invitation to slow down, observe and feel.
Let yourself be surprised by this artistic interlude, at the crossroads of introspection and contemplation. A rare moment to experience in the heart of a place steeped in history.

2- Head for Nice in search of emblematic images

From April 5 to September 28, the Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre in Nice presents Laurent Ballesta’s exhibition“MERS ET MYSTÈRES“. Through striking photographs, the artist plunges us into the depths of the oceans, revealing unprecedented underwater landscapes and fascinating marine behaviors. From Adelie Land to the Mediterranean, via the Pacific, each photograph is an invitation to explore a mysterious and fragile world. This exhibition, presented as part of the Year of the Sea in Nice, highlights the importance of preserving marine ecosystems.

From April 30 to September 26, 2025, the Musée d’Archéologie de Nice invites you to a fascinating exploration with the exhibition “Quand la mer nous parle” (“When the sea speaks to us“). As part of the United Nations Ocean Conference, this exhibition offers a unique journey to the heart of the Mediterranean depths, to discover sunken remains and forgotten stories. In partnership with the DRASSM and supported by UNESCO, it highlights the archaeological research carried out under the sea, the technologies used to explore these invisible worlds, and the challenges of preserving them. This exhibition is an invitation to listen to the sea in a different way, and to discover the mysteries and wonders hidden beneath the surface of our oceans.

See this publication on Instagram

A publication shared by Musée d’Archéologie de Nice/Cimiez (@museearcheocimiez_officiel)

For the Biennale des Arts de Nice 2025, the city is honoring the sea and the ocean, echoing the major United Nations Conference on the Ocean, which will also be held in Nice the same year. The Biennale des Arts et de l’Océan – Année de la Mer will feature an ambitious program of eleven exhibitions in seven of the city’s museums.

This new edition also takes place outside the city walls, with a series of works in public spaces, transforming Nice into a veritable open-air gallery, where art dialogues with the city, its inhabitants and its landscapes.

See this post on Instagram

A publication shared by Villa Arson Nice (@villaarsonnice)

In the heart of Nice, the Musée Matisse unveils a fascinating exhibition entitled “MATISSE MÉDITERRANÉE(S)” from May 7 to September 8. Henri Matisse was constantly inspired by the light, colors and cultures of the Mediterranean, which became an essential source of inspiration for him.

Through a variety of works – 5 paintings, drawings and objects – rarely presented in France, the exhibition highlights the intimate link between the artist and this territory, at once real, dreamt-of and symbolic.

From May 8 to August 24, 2025, Villa Arson presents Becoming Ocean – a social conversation about the Ocean. As part of the Biennale des Arts et de l’Océan de Nice, this group exhibition brings together more than twenty international artists around the same horizon: the ocean.

Becoming Ocean opens up a collective and artistic dialogue on major contemporary ocean issues, from the ecological crisis to geopolitical mutations, via forgotten narratives, indigenous perspectives and the myths that still inhabit the ocean depths.

3- Beautiful works to discover between Nice and Cannes

The next stop is Saint-Paul-de-Vence for an unmissable event. From March 14 to November 2, 2025, the CAB Foundation will be hosting an exhibition entitled“Partenaires particulaires“, bringing together a number of artists to explore the legacy of the Supports/Surfaces movement and the freest, most audacious contemporary practices. Partenaires particulaires is an invitation to rethink the act of creating through openness, transformation and detour, crossing forms, histories, geographies and voices in an organic, inhabited exhibition.

The exhibition “Karina Bisch. La tête dans le décor” in Biot at the Musée National Fernand Léger. A perfect opportunity to rediscover the singular universe of this contemporary artist alongside works by Fernand Léger, in an immersive journey where decor becomes language and a reflection on space and time.

View this publication on Instagram

A publication shared by Fondation CAB (@fondation_cab)

Exhibition The Art Of James Cameron Cinematheque 2024Exhibition The Art Of James Cameron Cinematheque 2024
©Exhibition The Art Of James Cameron Cinematheque 2024

    4- Art in all its forms in and around Cannes

    Arriving in Cannes is bound to delight lovers of the 7th art. The 10ᵉ Musée éphémère du cinéma dedicated to the career and creative process of James Cameron lets you climb the steps of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrèsfrom July 10 to August 24, 2025. The exhibition highlights his perpetual quest for technical and artistic perfection through interactive multimedia installations that plunge visitors into the heart of his universe.

    In Le Cannet, just a few kilometers away, from March 22 to June 8, 2025, the exhibition “Bonnard, la nature comme étendard” explores Pierre Bonnard’s intimate link with the natural world, as part of the “100 œuvres qui racontent le climat” initiative supported by the Musée d’Orsay. Featured: La Symphonie Pastorale, an exceptional work on loan for the occasion.

    From April 5 to September 28, 2025, the entire village of Mougins will be transformed into an open-air gallery with the “Mougins Monumental 2025” exhibition by Emmanuel Michel. Fifteen sculptures, some over two meters tall, take over the narrow streets in a free, open-air tour. The artist celebrates humanity in all its diversity, delivering powerful works inspired by his encounters around the world.

    Another not-to-be-missed event in Mougins: the Centre d’Art opens its doors from May 17 to September 28, 2025 for the exhibition “Les rêveries de l’enfant Totem” by Fabien Verschaere. The artist invites us to discover an imaginary world filled with strange creatures: clowns, monsters, fairies, mermaids and characters from fairy tales, cartoons and even our everyday lives. With a style reminiscent of childhood, but also dealing with serious subjects such as illness, madness and death, Fabien Verschaere mixes dream and reality. A funny, mysterious exhibition that plunges us into a unique universe.

    See this post on Instagram

    A publication shared by emmanuel Michel (@emmanuel.michel.painter)

    See this post on Instagram

    A publication shared by Grasse Perfume Week (@perfumeweek)

    5- AN ARTISTIC SUMMER IN GRASSE AND MOUANS-SARTOUX

    Head to Grasse for an artistic journey to the heart of Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s birthplace. This year, the Musée International de la Parfumerie is devoting an exceptional exhibition to him, Les Traits du Génie, organized in conjunction with the Louvre Museum’s Graphic Arts Department.

    From June 27 to October 26, discover over sixty rare drawings by the artist, never before exhibited in Grasse. Whether self-portraits, travel sketches or character studies, these works reveal the richness of Fragonard’s vision and talent. The exhibition also explores his profound links with the world of perfumery, through a fine selection of antique porcelain bottles.

    At the same time, from July 3 to 5, Grasse will host the very first edition of Grasse Perfume Week, an event devised by Nez, the olfactory cultural movement. A unique event dedicated to the world of perfume, this public event celebrates the unique know-how of the Grasse region, listed as an intangible heritage of humanity byUNESCO. Exhibitions, conferences, workshops, concerts and projections will enliven the city’s emblematic venues.

    In Mouans-Sartoux, theEspace de l’Art Concret hosts the exhibition“Mustapha Azeroual – SILLAGE” from March 8 to August 31. The artist explores light as matter, combining experimental photography and sensory perception. A poetic immersion at the crossroads of art and science, in a setting dedicated to contemporary creation.

    6- Head for Hyères and Porquerolles for an artistic voyage

    On theisland of Porquerolles, the Fondation Carmignac presents the“Vertigo” exhibition at the Villa Carmignac from April 26 to November 2, 2025. Curated by Matthieu Poirier, this immersive exhibition explores the links between natural phenomena and abstraction since the 1950s. Echoing the Mediterranean light, the mistral and the immensity of the island, Vertigo brings together iconic works by Botticelli, Warhol and Lichtenstein, loans from major institutions such as the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris and the Tate, and original creations produced for the occasion. A sensory experience between sky, sea and art.

    In Hyères, from February 8 to June 8, 2025, head for the former Banque de France, transformed into the Musée des Cultures et du Paysage, for a colorful plunge into the world of Andy Warhol. The Andy Warhol: Pop and Avant-Garde Universe exhibition Nearly sixty works straight from the Andy Warhol Museum in Slovakia, the artist’s country of origin, offer a rare immersion in the pop aesthetic of this giant of the XXᵉ century, to which may be added exceptional loans from the Fondation Carmignac and private collections.

    View this publication on Instagram

    A publication shared by Fondation Carmignac (@fondationcarmignac)

    ALSO TO DO :
    OutdoorOutdoor
    ©Outdoor|Antoine Lippens / Fondation CAB
    Destination Saint-Paul de Vence: discover the CAB Foundation
    The CAB Foundation, located in Saint-Paul de Vence, is a space dedicated to minimalist and conceptual contemporary art. This haven of creativity, which offers temporary...
    Untitled 1920 X 960 Px 1200 X 1200 Px 1Untitled 1920 X 960 Px 1200 X 1200 Px 1
    ©Untitled 1920 X 960 Px 1200 X 1200 Px 1
    My weekend at the Museums
    On January 25 and 26, 2025, “Mon week-end aux Musées” returns for a second edition, opening the doors of some forty museums, with some sixty interactive...
    istock-1191818259.jpg
    ©Back view of a crowded audience on a music festival with their arms raised.|IStock
    10 must-see summer festivals on the Côte d’Azur
    An inseparable part of the Côte d’Azur summer, festivals draw large crowds every year and contribute to our region’s appeal as a tourist destination. Jazz,...
    Expositions
    ©People Images
    15 GRAND SUMMER EXHIBITIONS ON THE COTE D’AZUR IN 2023!
    Découvrez les plus belles expositions que la Côte d'Azur vous offre tout au long de l'été !
    iStock-453661853-1.jpg
    ©IStock
    5 CULTURAL DESTINATIONS TO DISCOVER ON THE COTE D’AZUR
    The Côte d’Azur has no shortage of cultural events to discover now and throughout the year. From the seaside to the middle country, zoom in on five cultural getaways not...
    Nice, Musée Matisse
    ©Anaïs BROCHIERO
    MATISSE AND THE CÔTE D’AZUR: IN THE PAINTER’S FOOTSTEPS
    It was only in the second half of his life that Henri Matisse discovered the Côte d’Azur. From Nice, via Cagnes-sur-Mer and Vence; Matisse found inspiration in the Nice area....
    a7ae316b-a2cd-4728-b5c1-af16d3950093.jpg
    The finest street art spots on the Côte d’Azur!
    The Côte d’Azur is a veritable land of inspiration for many street artists. Like an open-air museum, they pay homage to the history of a district or town, or convey...
    DSC_2175.JPG-1200px.jpg
    ©CRT Côte d'Azur France / Georges VERAN
    IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PICASSO ON THE CÔTE D’AZUR!
    A child of the Mediterranean, Pablo Picasso chose the Côte d’Azur to spend his last and most productive years. In the land of his inspiration, numerous events...