Readers resident in, or visiting, the Riviera this month, should make a beeline for a hidden gem of a museum.
Pays de Grasse Tourisme
Housed in the Clapier-Cabris mansion (2 rue Jean Ossola in the old town in Grasse) the Musée Provençal du Costume et du Bijou (Provence Costume and Jewellery Museum) houses the fabulous collection of Hélène Costa.
During her life, she amassed an impressively diverse collection of typical regional clothing and objets dating from the 18th to the late 19th Century.
The museum, in a beautiful mansion once the home of Mirabeau’s sister, the Marquise de Cabris, opened in 1997.
2. Go to Goya in Castres
Good news for art-loving readers in the Southwest. Whilst the Louvre is renovating its rooms dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese art, the Musée Goya in Castres – named after painter Francisco Goya when it became specialised in hispanic art in 1947 – will be presenting four masterpieces from the Golden Age.
Admire the 1590 portrait Saint Louis, roi de Franceet un page by El Greco, as well as a remarkable group of still life works by the painters Meléndez, Espinosa and Gomes Figueira, in a space redesigned by scenographers especially for the loaned works.
Runs until September 21, 2025.
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3. Rodin in Roubaix
Located near Lille, Roubaix’s magnificent former swimming pool-turned-museum La Piscine, is amongst France’s most unusual places to enjoy great art.
Musée Rodin – photo Christian Baraja
Until June 1, the museum is hosting Rodin/Bourdelle. Body to body, an exhibition devoted to sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) and Antoine Bourdelle (1861–1929), who was twenty years younger than the master and worked as his assistant, carving marble and carrying out practical tasks in the studio before forging a name in his own right.
Composed of more than 170 items (sculptures, drawings, photographs and archive documents), it compares and contrasts 50 years of creation as well as highlighting their influence on the next generation of artists.
The Rodin Museum in Paris has loaned around 60 works from its collections, including Adam (pictured) from 1880.
4. The art of elegant travel
France’s aeronautical capital Toulouse is synonymous with air travel innovation and industry. Its fabulous Envol des Pionniers museum – which presents both a general history of aviation and more specifically the story of Aéropostale, which connected France to its colonies in Africa and South America – is the perfect site for a retrospective on the art of travel with Air France.
Air France, A Story of Elegance gathers more than 170 objects – including couture uniforms, posters, period seats, aircraft models and archive films – to present a history of the French national airline. It seems a far cry from today’s budget airline travel.
No rush to visit – this new temporary exhibition runs until February 2027.
5. Sporting occasions
Sports lovers in France and Monaco are spoilt for choice this month, with two epic events taking place. The French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris began on May 19, with the singles finals set for the weekend of June 7–8.
Meanwhile in Monaco, petrol-heads rev up for the iconic Formula 1 street race on Sunday May 25.
