Collioure has over the past 150 years, been home to an impressive array of artistic talent. Collioure was originally just a relatively poor fishing village, eeking out a living from the Anchovy trade. However, in the early 20th Century, Collioure became home to an important new art movement "Fauvism", with many artists attracted by Collioure's "special light". It is true, every time I have ever visited Collioure it has always been bright and sunny. But it is a special kind of hazy sunlight that reflects back up from the shallow bay.
The basis of the Fauvist paintings, was a strong use of colours, whilst still exhibiting elements of the Impressionism painting style. Early Fauvist painters such as Matisse, Derain, Raoul Dufy and Charles Rennie McIntosh, were later joined by Picasso, Georges Braque and Maillol in the town.
Collioure art trail
Today, art is still an important activity in Collioure. With over thirty galleries and many resident artists still working in and around the town, Collioure is right to proclaim itself the "Town of Artists". If you are an art lover, what makes Collioure such a great place to visit is that the locations of many of the famous paintings of the town, are clearly marked out on a special art trail. You can gaze through empty picture frames and see the same view as Matisse or Derain or Raoul Dufy painted over 100 years ago.
Collioure Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art in Collioure was founded by Jean Peske in 1930. The Museum is houses in the beautiful Villa Pams, on the southern edge of the town. The museum features work by Matisse, Derain and Maillol.
The Museum also has many visiting exhibitions and gives over a large amount of space to contemporary artists. Indeed, since 1990 the winners of the biennial "Prix Collioure" have been invited to Collioure to work in the museum's studio for one year. A large exhibition marks the end of the year. When they leave, the artists give one of their creations to the museum. For more information about the Museum of Modern Art in Collioure, please visit the Collioure Modern art museum.
Matisse and Derain art trail
In 1905, Henri Matisse and Andre Derain arrived in Collioure. Around the town, you will now find over twenty reproductions of their work, displayed close to where the artists perched their easels. You will also find metal picture frames mounted on stilts, through which you can also 'frame' or the scene that these painters saw. It is quite an ingenious idea and our 3 boys love to look at the the view and then compare it to the painting beside it.
Matisse came to Collioure because he was looking to escape the Parisian summer and he needed a cheap residence for his wife, two little boys and his older daughter (by a former mistress). At the time, the Cote Vermeille was bankrupt. Its wine industry had been ravaged by disease in the vines and its fishing business was collapsing. It is surprising that Colioure owes its chic resort status, precisely because Matisse came here to find cheap lodgings in the poverty stricken town. It is one of those ironies of history.
Collioure's "special light"
When he arrived in Collioure, Matisse marvelled at the
"bright Mediterranean colours and above all by the quality of the light. The light is different".
The Cote Vermeille is the only east-facing coast in France. The Pyrenees plunge dramatically down into the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean has almost no tides, so the sun rises over deep blue, clear water with no surf to break the patterns. Also the clouds are pushed out far to sea by the strong Roussillon winds, so the sunlight is reflected mainly off the Mediterranean waters and the dark green and red colours of the Pyrenees. Andre Derain, Matisse's friend and colleague during their summer in Collioure, commented that
"Collioure has no shadows."
Famous artists in Collioure
The Scottish Architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, visited in Collioure in 1923. Suffering from tuberculosis, Mackintosh spent his last 4 years of his life in nearby Port Vendres. He used to travel to Collioure and painted many detailed watercolors of the town and surrounding region. He produced over 30 works during his time in the South of France, (but he only managed to sell 2 paintings whilst he was alive).
Although Pablo Picasso never stayed for long periods in Collioure, he visited the town a number of times. He first came across Collioure in 1910, on his journey down to Cadaques in Northern Spain. During the summers of 1911 and 1912, Picasso stayed in Ceret with his friend Georges Braque and he visited Collioure often during this time. Some 40 years later, Picasso returned to the region, staying at the home of his friends Jacques and Paule de Lazerme in Perpignan, in 1953. It was during this last visit that he made his last trip to Collioure. Two of his paintings from this period, a bullfighting scene and a local Catalan dance scene, are displayed in the Musee D’Art Moderne in Ceret.
The painter Raoul Dufy, spent a lot of time in Collioure during 1948. He stayed with his friend René Pous who was the owner of the Hostellerie des Templiers bar in the town. His painting "Le Port de Collioure" (1948) is displayed in the Collioure Museum of Modern Art.
Salvador Dalí lived for many decades in the coastal town of Port Lligat, which is just over the Spanish border from Collioure. He visited the town often and scenes from Collioure feature prominently in his art, especially the harbor, the Fort Sainte-Elme, and the surrounding landscape.
Antonio Machado
The great Spanish poet, Antonio Machado, was born in Seville in 1875 and became an active supporter of the republican Government in Spain during the mid-thirties. In 1939, he left Barcelona with his family to escape Franco's dictatorship and chose to live in Collioure as exile. He led a secluded life in "Casa Quintana" where he died on February 22, 1939. His mother died 3 days later. Machado has become symbolic of the thousands of Spaniards and Catalans that chose exile in Languedoc.
He is buried under a plain tombstone in the old cemetery. Since 1977, the Antonio Machado Fundation honours his memory by inviting entries in an international poetry competition every February. Throughout the town there are seminars, symposiums, lectures, Castillan dance festivals, and exhibitions. Picasso's poster "Homage to Antonio Machado" is displayed in Collioure's Musee d'Art Moderne.
There is a special Foundation in Collioure, set up to honour Machado's work and legacy. For more information please visit: Foundation Antonio Machado.
Where to next . . . ?
If you are visiting the South of France this summer, then get the inside track on the best Places to see & visit in the South of France in 2026 (written by people who live in Southern France all year around). Read about the best restaurants to eat at, get local information on the best beaches to visit and discover the best tourist sites, markets and festivals to see during your stay.
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