Museums: Stones for the Spirit

Artists have long loved southern France, and some, like Picasso, have become year-round residents. Usually their paintings were shipped north to the big art galleries of Paris; only in recent years has a host of small museums displaying works by resident greats in a leisurely ambiance sprung up along the Mediterranean. Most recent and best is the small but elaborate Maeght museum (see color), which opened last summer on the French Riviera, has already drawn over 80,000 visitors.

Strolling Ghosts. Tucked away in the hills high above the Mediterranean at Saint-Paul-de-Vence and commanding one of the most breathtaking views on the...