Come and visit the Charles Nègre Museum of Photography in Nice and dive into the world of exceptional contemporary photographers!
Located in the heart of the old town, the museum offers temporary exhibitions on great names in photography.
In this article, we give you all our advice in images to visit the museum and anticipate your visit!
This review is completely independent, we visited anonymously and paid our admission in full.
Why visit the Museum of Photography in Nice?
Is the Charles Nègre Museum of Photography worth it? Our opinion:
Yes, we recommend visiting the museum for several reasons:
- A unique location: the museum is located in the center of Old Nice, near the Cour Saleya. The area is very touristy and colorful. By the way, you’ll notice on the picture that the museum blends in with the scenery because it is a warm orange red!
- A former industrial building: the museum is located in the premises of theformer Prefecture substation. It was in operation in the 1930s and was used to supply electricity to the neighborhood. We found that the industrial character of the architecture gave the place a special cachet.
- Its particularities: the Charles Nègre Museum is also composed of an adjoining gallery. We really appreciated this space dedicated to regional photographic creation. In addition, a documentation center is freely available in the museum. You can stop by to consult the books for free.
It’s one of the best museums in Nice. Find more ideas for your stay in our article on Nice attractions.
Why is the Museum of Photography in Nice famous?
The Charles Nègre Museum owes its notoriety to the great names in photography that are exhibited there. It should be noted that the museum hosts mainly temporary exhibitions. In this sense, many talented contemporary photographers have the opportunity to be featured. In the photo below, you have an overview of the exhibition dedicated to Lionel Kazan, a great fashion photographer of the 1950s and 1960s.
To give you another example, the museum proposed an exhibition on the work of Vincent Munier, one of the five greatest wildlife documentary photographers in the world! His news was strong at the end of 2021, following the release of the documentary The Snow Panther which was particularly appreciated by the critics.
Alas, like us, you will not have the chance to enjoy this exhibition which ended on January 15, 2023. But don’t worry, the museum knows how to renew itself and propose other incredible talents! In the following article, you will discover with us the work of Lionel Kazan in more detail, and that ofAlexandre Dufaye.
DISCOVER Nice
- Best things to do in Nice
- Where to stay in Nice: 15 best hotels
- Where to eat in Nice: 20 best restaurants
- The 12 best museums in Nice
- Best beaches
- Visit the Palais Lascaris
- Visit the MAMAC Museum
- Visit the Museum of Photography
- Itineraries: 1 day – 2 days – 3 days – 5 days – 7 days
- Rent a car in Nice (airport or train station)
- Most beautiful villages around Nice
History in brief
History of the places:
Originally titled the Theater of Photography and Image, the museum spent 16 years within L’Artistique, an Art and Culture Center in Nice. Later, he moved to an old electric substation located in Place Pierre Gautier in the old town of Nice. In 2016, it officially became the Charles Nègre Museum of Photography.
The front of the building is deeply marked by its history, which gives it a unique character. As you can see on the picture, we can still read the inscription “sub-station prefecture” above the entrance of the museum. In addition, the golden eagle with its crown symbolizes the coat of arms of the city of Nice.
In 2018, the museum was awarded the Quality Tourism label. This is a very positive indicator of the quality of the reception and services offered to the public. In the image above, you can see the large spaces available to visitors. The information on current exhibitions is very readable and accessible to all.
History of Charles Nègre:
Why did the museum choose this name? Charles Nègre is a painter and a great pioneer of photography. Very interested in this emerging art revealed in 1839, he began to take his first photos in 1844, which are now in the public domain.
Chimney sweepers on the march is a photograph taken in Paris in 1851 that marks the history of photography. It is considered one of the first attempts at motion capture.
Later in his life, Charles Nègre moved to Nice where he produced a series of photographs of the city in motion. For the time, his pictures were revolutionary, because he tried to capture the instant. It’s harder for us to conceive right now!
Advice: Charles Nègre Museum of Photography, Nice
Where is the Museum of Photography in Nice?
The Charles Nègre Museum of Photography is located at 1, Place Pierre Gautier in Nice (06300).
- Driving time from Marseille: 2h20.
- Driving time from Aix-en-Provence: 2h10.
- Driving time from Avignon: 2h45.
- Driving time from Montpellier: 3h40.
- Driving time from Toulon: 1h40.
How to get there
Nice is easily accessible by car, plane and train. If you choose the train or plane option, you can leave directly from Paris. By train, you can also take a direct route from Lyon, Cannes, Marseille, Toulon, and from several European cities.
See the available schedules and book your train tickets now.
Once in Nice, you can get to the Charles Nègre Museum in different ways. By car, we advise you to take the Saint-François-de-Paule street (reserved for residents), the Prefecture street or the Crotti descent. Other accesses to the Old Nice are no longer allowed. For more information on the direction of traffic in this area, please consult the official website of the city of Nice.
OUR TPS FOR RENTING YOUR CAR IN Provence
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a car that is powerful enough (the roads are steep) but compact (some passages are narrow).
- Think of thecomplete insurance (some roads are tortuous and narrow).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
If you choose the public transport option and you are already in Nice, you can take the streetcar or the bus. By streetcar, you will have to get off at the Opera-Vieille Ville stop and walk 5min. By bus, take line 8 or 12 and get off at the Massena stop, then walk 7min.
Parking
The museum does not have its own parking lot. It is quite complicated to park in the streets of the old city, especially since it is located near the Cours Saleya (mainly pedestrian).
However, you will be able to find parking lots nearby in Old Nice quite easily. The Sulzer interparking lot in particular, which is located at a 5-minute walk from the museum. You even have the possibility to reserve your place in advance on their official website. This parking lot offers hourly and daily rates.
Schedules and rates
Schedules:
- Open every day except Monday.
- The museum: 10am to 6pm.
- The gallery: 10am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 6pm.
Closed on December 25, January 1, Easter Sunday and May 1.
Rates:
- Unique and exclusive ticket at 5€.
- Free for children under 18 and students with proof of age.
The museum is one of the tourist places to visit with the 3-day pass (3-day museum pass: 15€, access to all municipal museums and galleries for 72 hours).
The Museum of Photography in Nice offers guided tours but reservations are required. You can consult the official website of the museum for more information on this subject.
Best time to visit
If you want to avoid the busy periods, we recommend that you visit the museum in autumn or winter. Nice is a very touristy city, and a popular destination when the weather is nice.
However, we recommend that you plan your visit according to the museum’s current programming. You can consult it on their official website. If you come for a particular photographer, and his exhibition is over, you will be fatally disappointed.
Also, it is best to avoid a lunchtime visit. The adjoining museum gallery closes between 12:30 and 1:30, so you might miss it!
How long to visit the museum and main difficulties
We advise you to allow between 45min and 1h30 depending on your interest for the temporary exhibitions at the time of your visit.
Remember that the exhibitions change every three months! Before going to the site, we recommend that you consult the official website of the museum to find out about the current exhibitions.
Depending on your level of interest in the photographers exhibited, you will want to stay there more or less. For book lovers, the visit could also be extended to the documentation center, if you wish to take the time to leaf through some books on photography.
You won’t have any trouble getting around the museum. There is one floor, but you can take the stairs or the elevator. It is adapted for people with reduced mobility.
Advice on how to visit
The meaning of the visit within the museum is quite simple. We started by discovering the whole first floor, then we went upstairs in a second time.
You have two options: take the stairs or the elevator for people with reduced mobility. Small note: you have to keep the pressure on the button for the elevator to rise.
Afterwards, we took a tour of the gallery adjacent to the museum. It is located outside the museum on the left on the same sidewalk. You will have access to it thanks to a small ticket given at the beginning of your visit.
The Charles Nègre Museum with children
The museum has not particularly set up activities for children, except for school audiences. However, they will enjoy discovering the different photographic worlds. They can have fun creating a list of their favorite photos!
On the official website of the museum, you also have access to a virtual escape game for children over 10.
WHERE TO STAY IN Nice
Our favorites: neighborhoods and hotels
On the waterfront, with sea view:
Anantara Hotel – See prices, photos and availability
In the new town, close to the sea:
Hotel Apollinaire, elegant and bright – See prices, photos and availability
In the old town, with all the charm:
AparthotelAMMI Vieux Nice very practical and pleasant – see prices, photos and availability
Nearby restaurants
In the city of Nice, you will have no difficulty finding good places to eat. Here is a list of places we recommend:
- Restaurant JAN – a Michelin-starred restaurant that offers a cuisine of great finesse.
- Restaurant La Rotonde at the Hotel Le Negresco – a tasty meal in an elegant setting of gold and white.
- Restaurant Peixes – a menu based on fish and seafood for an original experience.
- Restaurant La Storia – Mediterranean cuisine in a colorful setting: typical of the south of France!
- Maison Joia Restaurant and Delicatessen – a restaurant that features 100% French products.
- Restaurant Les Épicuriens – a welcoming setting and fresh, succulent dishes.
- Restaurant Sentimi – traditional Italian cuisine.
For picnic lovers, the Old Nice is an ideal playground! Pass by the Saleya market to buy some local products, then head for the Colline du Château park, or the beaches of the Opera and Ponchettes. Small note: these are pebble beaches.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Get away from it all with Region Lovers’ beautiful destinations!
- Once a month
- Advertising-free
The Museum of Photography of Nice and its exhibitions: our visit
As you can see, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions. We will share with you our discovery of the photographic universes of Lionel Kazan and Alexandre Dufaye.
In the museum: the temporary exhibition of Lionel Kazan
An essential fashion photographer:
Un air du temps, the exhibition dedicated to Lionel Kazan (1930-2016), looks back at the fashion of the 1950s and 1960s. He was published in major French and American magazines that you all know: such as Marie Claire, Elle, Vogue, Glamour, etc.
A true witness to the evolution of the female condition, Lionel Kazan highlighted the changes in fashion. He accompanied this societal revolution, and the opening of fashion photography outside the box. His playgrounds were diverse: Paris, the Greek temples or the Portuguese beaches.
With his camera, he captured an era and highlighted women and their social evolution. On the picture below, a wind of freedom blows on them. They are strong and proud, ready to conquer the city. In the photograph on the left, the low-angle framing reinforces this feeling of power. We were impressed by the talent of this photographer!
Between great French actresses and prestigious fashion brands
As a portrait photographer, Lionel Kazan has photographed stars of the big screen and of the song, including Brigitte Bardot, Catherive Deneuve, Jane Fonda, etc. His pictures are extremely elegant and impressively precise. He had the chance to capture the icons of the 1950s and 1960s in all their sensibility. In this photo, Catherine Deneuve is immortalized in a Dior outfit.
The photographer’s work has also caught the eye of the great French couturiers. His models have worn Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, etc. Through his pictures, we have relived the golden age of haute couture and the rise of ready-to-wear. The growing freedom of women seems to be at the heart of the work of Lionel Kazan.
A LITTLE MORE patience
All the photos, maps, information, good addresses to make your stay in Provence a success, will soon be gathered in a single ebook!
If you wish to be informed of the publication of our guide on Provence, subscribe:
The documentation center
Inside the museum, you will have access to a documentation center on the first floor. We particularly appreciated this space filled with books related to photography. It is possible to sit there for a few minutes and consult the different books for free.
Depending on your interest in the holdings of this little library, you may even spend hours there! The concept is very relevant, because the book is an excellent support to value the photographic art.
The documentation center offers a large choice of references for all audiences (amateurs, initiates, professionals). You will find your happiness! The collection includes books on the history of photography, but also on current events in the field.
In the photo gallery: the world of Alexandre Dufaye
A local contemporary photographer:
Alexandre Dufaye is a French visual photographer born in Nice in 1972. Through his exhibition Retour sur Terre-Repenser le vivant, he mixes two series of photos taken in 2019 and 2021. From the landscapes of the Camargue to the Salins de Giraud, he captures a natural and immobile universe disrupted by human activity.
The photographer questions the impact we have on the world around us. As you can see above, his work is quite minimalist and uncluttered. However, he manages to sublimate simple subjects and to convey his message to us. We were surprised to think about the link between Man and his environment.
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO provence
Our articles are coming!
- Most beautiful cities in Provence (coming soon)
- Most beautiful beaches of Provence (coming soon)
- Most beautiful villages of Provence (to come)
- Most beautiful destinations in Provence (coming soon)
Our favorites
In short, we really enjoyed our visit to the Charles Nègre Museum of Photography. Some photos have marked us more than others. Of course it depends on the sensitivity of each person towards a work of art. The two photographers exhibited during our visit brought different views on photography. Nevertheless, both of them captured beautiful and unique shots. Our small selection of favorites:
- For the feeling of deep freedom that emanates from it:
- For the minimalist aesthetic:
- To honor a great icon:
It is now up to you to visit the Charles Nègre Museum and select your favorite works from the current exhibitions!
All our tips in this article were put into words with the help of Elisa.
