The next time you find yourself wading through the crowds at a museum, think about staying at La Colombe d’Or in the French village of Saint-Paul de Vence and enjoy the art of the modern masters in the spirit in which it was created.
Just outside the walls of Saint-Paul de Vence, a medieval village in the South of France and perennial haven of creatives, sits La Colombe d'Or, a small restaurant and hotel with a rotating art collection that rivals any small museum. Legend has it that the likes of Picasso, Chagall, and a few other talented notaries paid for their lodgings and meals with their paintings. Anyone interested in starting an art collection might want to take note.
Above: La Colombe d'Or sits just outside the wall of the medieval hillside village of Saint-Paul de Vence. Image via CNTraveler.
Above: The reception area of La Colombe d'Or. Image via Flickr.
Above: A black and white photograph of a famous former guest. Image via CNTraveler.
Above: Modern masterpieces hang on the walls of the restaurant. Image via Best Eating Out in Languedoc.
Above: Uplights for the paintings are concealed behind fixtures shaped like shells. Image via Stenaroadtrip.
Above: Dining with a Picasso at La Colombe d'Or. Image via Vankata.
Above: A ceramic mural by Fernand Leger presides over diners outside. Image via CNTraveler.
Above: Fernand Leger's mural is surrounded by the ivy of the walled garden. Image via AutoEurope.
Above: A Calder mobile brings sculptural interest to the hotel's swimming pool. Image via The Daily Meal.
Above: A Sean Scully ceramic mural adds a strong graphic background to the pool area. Image via The Daily Meal.
Above: A mosaic mural of the "Golden Dove" nestles into the surrounding verdant foliage. Image via Flickr.
Above: The multi-colored terracotta roof tiles display a painterly palette. Image via BozAround.
Above: A view of Saint-Paul de Vence from the multi-colored roof. Image via Louise Candlish.
Above: The exterior of the La Colombe d'Or. Image via Flickr.
Planning a trip to France? See 74 of our favorite French design haunts in our City Guides.
Below: A map showing the location of La Colombe d'Or in Saint-Paul de Vence.