Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; oc, Canha de Mar) is a

French Riviera The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from ...

town in the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, ...

department in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geography

Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in south-eastern France located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, between Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Villeneuve-Loubet. It stretches along a cove offering nearly four kilometers (2 miles) of beach and is surrounded by hills, including that of the castle which rises to 300 feet (90 meters) above sea level.

History

It was the retreat and final address of the painter

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, feminine sensuality ...

, who moved there in 1907 in an attempt to improve his arthritis, and remained until his death in 1919. In the late 1920s, Cagnes-sur-Mer became a residence for many

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

renowned literary and art figures, such as Kay Boyle, George Antheil and Harry and

Caresse Crosby Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; April 20, 1892 – January 24, 1970) was the first recipient of a patent for the modern bra, an American patron of the arts, publisher, and the "literary godmother to the Lost Generation of expatriate writ ...

. Author Georges Simenon (1903–1989), creator of the fictional detective ''Commissaire Jules Maigret'', lived at 98, montée de la Bourgade in the 1950s with his third wife and their three children; his initial "S" may still be seen in the wrought iron on the stairs. Parisian artist, poet, and philosopher Georges Charaire had a home In Cagnes for many years. Creating his lithographs in the former studio of

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, and also as a co-founder of the Theatre du Tertre in Montmartre, he had a great influence on French art and thought in the 20th century. He helped his friend

Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre in the 20th century. Ionesco inst ...

with his first plays at the Theatre du Tertre. Charaire kept his second home in Cagnes sur Mer until his death in 2001. Belarusian-French artist

Chaïm Soutine Chaïm Soutine (13 January 1893 – 9 August 1943) was a Belarusian painter who made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living and working in Paris. Inspired by classic painting in the European tradition, exemplified by the ...

created powerful, fanciful landscapes of southern France. A friend of Amedeo Modigliani, Soutine left colourful landscapes from Cagnes from 1924 on. Fauvist painter

Francisco Iturrino Francisco Nicolás Iturrino González (9 September 1864 – 20 June 1924) was a Spanish Post-impressionist painter of Basque ancestry. He is sometimes classified as a Fauvist. Biography Iturrino was born in Santander. In 1872, his family ...

also resided in the town where he died. The town may have been an inspiration for Neo-impressionist

Henri-Edmond Cross Henri-Edmond Cross, born Henri-Edmond-Joseph Delacroix, (20 May 1856 – 16 May 1910) was a French painter and printmaker. He is most acclaimed as a master of Neo-Impressionism and he played an important role in shaping the second phase of ...

(1856–1910), the artist who painted ''Cypresses at Cagnes'' (1908).

Population

Sights

Places of interest include Renoir's estate, ''Les Collettes'', surrounded by olive trees; the Medieval castle at ''le Haut-de-Cagnes'' and the ''Cros'' quarter, founded by Italian fishermen in the nineteenth century. It is also known for its horse racing venue, the

Hippodrome de la Côte d'Azur The Hippodrome de la Côte d'Azur is a racecourse which is located in the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; oc, Canha de Mar) is a French Riviera town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alp ...

, and a four-kilometre (2 mile) beach.

Transport

The

Gare de Cagnes-sur-Mer Gare de Cagnes-sur-Mer is a railway station serving Cagnes-sur-Mer, Alpes-Maritimes department, southeastern France. It is located on the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway, between Cannes and Nice. The station is served by regional trains (TER Pr ...

railway station offers local services in the directions of Nice and Cannes.

International relations

The commune is twinned with: * Passau (

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, 1973)

Photo gallery

File:Cros-de-Cagnes.jpg, Cros-de-Cagnes File:Pierre-Auguste Renoir 062.jpg, ''Landscape near Cagnes'', by

File:The Vineyards at Cagnes Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1908.jpg, ''The Vineyards at Cagnes'' by

, 1908. Brooklyn Museum File:The Castle in Haut-de-Cagnes.jpg, The Grimaldi castle museum in Haut-de-Cagnes

References

External links

Official website

Official tourism website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cagnes-Sur-Mer Cagnessurmer Alpes-Maritimes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia