Villa Arson - Ecole et Centre National d'Art Contemporain

This privileged site, a genuine belvedere over the city, on 20,000m² of terraced Mediterranean gardens, houses the National Art School, a National Contemporary Art Centre and an artists’ residence.
For nearly 50 years, the world-famous Villa Arson has been a reference in the field of the Visual Arts. Free access for individual visitors during exhibitions. Information document : 2€
Guided tour : 7€




Villa Arson is a public establishment run by the Ministry of Culture. One of its kind, it has been dedicated to contemporary art for almost 40 years. It houses a national centre of contemporary art, a national school of art, a media library and a residence for artists. It also carries out research and training projects and promotes art. focusing on present day art, it is housed in a modern building in the brutalist style.

Designed in the 1970s by architect Michel Marot, it stands on the hill of saint-Barthélémy in a Mediterranean garden of over 2 hectares. 17 000m2 of buildings in concrete and pebbles from the Var, fit around the former 18th-century dwelling of the Arson family. Plants and light play a major role in the overall design, thanks to courtyards, terraces and gardens. The 4 500m2 of terraces on three levels form a hanging garden that offers a belvedere overlooking the city of Nice and the Bay of Angels. This constitutes one of the main attractions of the site. In 2002, the building was awarded the « 20th century Heritage » labe