Here’s why artists flocked to the South of France; the light, the flowers, the blue of the sea and sky.

Here is a slice of heaven taken from the courtyard of the Grimaldi Castle in Antibes. Once the home of a noble family,  the Picasso Museum is located here. Now the castle holds notable works of art.

An exhibition of photographs of Picasso with Jacqueline and Paloma fills the exhibition space on the lower floor. Upstairs are later works by Picasso (1940s) with sea urchins, fish and cacti. Also, you’ll find a fine collection of dinner plates by the artist. And a bust.

I was pleasantly surprised by this small museum. I liked Picasso’s rendition of local flora and fauna. I liked the dinner plates. And I loved the swatches of Mediterranean blue afforded by the windows.

The views were deep breaths in sunlit corridors. They were long drinks of champagne and cassis. Quenching. Bubbling. Invigorating.

Nirvana.