Photo Tour of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) in Nice, France

When I searched for free things to do in Nice, one of the attractions which appeared was the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC). However, when I went to the museum’s website to check the opening hours, it stated that there was a 10 Euro charge for an individual ticket valid for 48 hours, which appears to also include entry to Matisse Museum, Palais Lascaris and some other galleries.

As it said that journalists could get in free, I practised my French to attempt complementary entry to MAMAC. I was successful.

MAMAC is a striking building, designed by the French architects Yves Bayvard and Henri Vidal.  It opened in 1990.

Once you’re in the building, you realise the size of the arches in the central part.

Below are photos of some of the pieces in MAMAC which caught my attention.

I loved the blue dress with the long train which was constructed with plastic bottles.

The female characters had barbed wire grids attached, presumably to keep their movements restricted.

The bride in the painting looked rather wistful.

I rather fancied having the gold coffee table in our living room.

The Marilyn Munroe poster reminded me of an exhibition of the movie star’s costumes, which I saw in Jersey Museum on the Channel Islands in 2010.

One of the exhibitions by a single creator which I most enjoyed was that of the French sculptor and artist Niki de Saint Phalle. I found her work to be colourful and humourous.

The women in their swimming costumes looked extremely laid back.

Perhaps the reading man might have been more usefully employed milking the cow with the bulging pink udder.

I’m not sure if the corseted angel’s holey wings would permit flight.

On closer inspection, the life size sculpture of a woman had all sorts of plastic models attached which included horses, cows and humans.

There’s a sculpture of the Loch Ness Monster by Niki de Saint Phalle a few hundred metres from the MAMAC building, in front of the National Theatre of Nice.

If possible, visit MAMAC on a dry day, so that you can spend time up on the roof terrace.

In one direction, you’ll see the giant head sculpture in Jardin Marechal Juin and hills behind Nice on the horizon.

In another direction, you look towards Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill).

There’s a small garden. mainly planted with trees and shrubs.

I would have happily paid the 10 Euro entry fee to MAMAC. I spent more than three hours at the museum. I was impressed by the architecture and the contents.

If you plan to visit several museums in Nice, you can buy a 20 Euro Museum Pass, which is valid for seven days. I was only in Nice for two full days, so I didn’t want to spend too much time in museums.