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These exhibitions are a must-see at the Nice Biennale of Oceans!

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The Editor

© Laurent Ballesta, Mers et Mystères - Musée de la Photographie Charles Nègre

This summer, Nice transforms into a stage for an artistic wave that is as beautiful as it is meaningful. For its very first Biennale dedicated to the oceans, the city is pulling out all the stops: 9 museums, 11 fascinating exhibitions that dive into marine mysteries until September. Here are the ones that caught our eye the most. 


1. Nice, from the shore to the sea at the Masséna Museum

This is the perfect exhibition to (re)discover the Mediterranean through the eyes of the people of Nice. The Masséna Museum takes us on a heartfelt journey along the sea, from pebble beaches to endless horizons. Paintings, vintage posters, bath objects, travel tales: the exhibition tells the story of how the sea has shaped the city's identity since the 19th century. It's sweet, sunny, a touch nostalgic, and just right to kick off the Biennale in style. 

Nice, from the shore to the sea
Musée Masséna 
65, rue de France – Nice
From  to More info


2. Matisse Mediterranean(s) at the Matisse Museum

Painting the Mediterranean wasn't just about representing a landscape for Matisse : it was also about embracing a way of existing, feeling, and breathing on our Earth. This exhibition offers a geographical and poetic approach to the artist’s relationship with this diverse marine space. With cut-out papers resembling corals, deep blue swathes, and organic shapes that undulate like jellyfish, you’ll discover a Matisse more oceanic than ever.

Matisse Mediterranean(s)
Matisse Museum
164, Avenue des Arènes-de-Cimiez – Nice
From May 7 to September 8, 2025
More info  


3. Laurent Ballesta - Seas and Mysteries at the Photography Museum 

Laurent Ballesta, the undisputed master of underwater photography, reveals 53 breathtaking images that plunge us into the depths of Antarctica, the Pacific, and the Mediterranean. From the reproduction of grouper surrounded by sharks to the frozen gardens of the Adélie Sea, each image blends scientific precision with stunning aesthetics. Vibrant colors, strange creatures, suspended silence, the ocean becomes an abstract theater, almost unreal. With a background in biology, Ballesta was also the first to photograph the legendary coelacanth in its natural habitat.

Laurent Ballesta - Seas and Mysteries
Muséede la Photographie Charles Nègre
1, place Pierre-Gautier – Nice
From April 26 to September 07, 2025
More info


4. The Relics of the Foam at the Fine Arts Museum

The young artist Racca Vammerisse takes over the Fine Arts Museum with a fascinating exhibition that blends plastic arts and archaeology. Drawing inspiration from the underwater imagination, she presents a series of ceramic works that resemble relics. Beads, shells, tentacles, and other claws and corals seem to emerge from a submerged future, where the sea has swallowed our civilization. A sensory journey of strange beauty.

The Relics of the Foam, by Racca Vammerisse
Fine Arts Museum 
33 Baumettes Avenue – Nice
From April 26 to September 7, 2025
More info


In the Time of the Great Master Jean-Paul de Lascaris, at the Lascaris Palace

Set sail for history with this fascinating exhibition dedicated to the connections between Nice, the Mediterranean, and the Order of Malta in the modern era. Through the figure of Jean-Paul de Lascari, Grand Master of the Order in the 17th century, the exhibition unravels a past where the city and its county played a strategic role between Europe and the Mediterranean world. You will discover the nobles of the county, their commitment to the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem, as well as .the importance of Nice as a free port since 1612, a gateway to Malta and beyond. Between , and treasures of sacred art, this dive into local history brilliantly sheds light on the city’s maritime roots.

In the time of the great master Jean-Paul de Lascaris
Lascaris Palace
15, rue Droite – Nice
From May 6 to November 3, 2025
More info


When the sea speaks to us at the Archaeology Museum of Nice

Want to dive in for real? Head to the Archaeology Museum of Nice/Cimiez, which is featuring a exhibition on underwater archaeology of the Côte d’Azur. Created in partnership with the Department of Underwater and Subaquatic Archaeological Research and UNESCO, it unveils an exceptional maritime heritage: ancient shipwrecks, sunken objects, remnants of the legendary Casino of the Jetée-Promenade… but also the cutting-edge technologies that allow us to explore the depths today, like the Arthur robot. With a backdrop of reflection on the contemporary challenges of archaeological research.

The preservation of maritime cultural heritage and the international collaboration led by UNESCO.

When the Sea Speaks to Us
Musée d'Archéologie de Nice/Cimiez 
160, avenue des Arènes-de-Cimiez – Nice
From April 30 to September 26, 2025
More info