Château de Villeneuve

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Villeneuve stands on the ramparts of the old town of Vence, in the Alpes-Maritimes department. Built in the 17th century, it adjoins a 12th-century watchtower and was the residence of the lords, later marquises, of Villeneuve, counts of Provence and lords of Vence. In the 20th century it belonged to Émile Hugues (1901–1966), deputy mayor of Vence and a minister under the Fourth Republic, who left it to the town upon his death. Fully restored under the direction of the architect Jean-François Bodin, also known for his work at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris and the Musée Matisse in Nice, the building combines the medieval defensive tower with the main residence (corps de logis) of the classical period. Today it houses the Musée de Vence, also known as the Fondation Émile Hugues, devoted to temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, which notably recalls the stays in Vence of artists such as Matisse, Raoul Dufy, Chagall and Dubuffet.