The Musee de l’ Annonciade in St Tropez on the French Riviera has gained a remarkable edition to its expanding collection.

A painting titled ‘La jeune femme assise sur les rivages d’Agay’ painted by the highly influential late 19th century and early 20^th century French artist, Louis Valtat, has been luring an influx of visitors into the museum.

The painting  is of a young and beautiful lady standing on the shores of Agay, a small fishing village not far from St Raphael, and is one of 20 produced by the artist in a series titled ‘Notations d’Agay 1899’.

After spending the winter in Agay in 1897, Louis Valtat became captivated by the Cote d’Azur and himself and his wife made regular visits to the area, cycling over the Esterel hills, where Valtat would be artistically inspired.

The Musee de l’Annonciade’s curator, Jean-Paul Monery wanted to buy the Valtat painting as a way of complimenting Agay and L’Esterel. The painting is the latest piece of artwork bought by the museum to reflect the region’s unique beauty and identity.

Musee de l’Annonciade is internationally renowned for housing some impressive art collections by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Raoul Dufy, Pierre Bonnard and Paul Signac.

In 2010, a painting by Dufy of St Tropez’s port titled, ‘Le port de St Tropez’, joined L’Annonciade’s collection, as well as a painting by Chambaud titled, ‘Les joueurs de boules’, and a piece by Henri Person, named ‘Pont de Pierre a Bordeaux’.

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Its always exciting to come out of the bitter winter cold and in to the crisp and blossoming spring time, and what better way to celebrate this changing of the seasons than to spend it exploring? Delve in to a world of culture with these 2 events on the Riviera this spring.

Monte Carlo Spring Art Festival

Running from 18^th March – 10^th April 2011, the Spring Art Festival brings talented artists from around to world to entertain guests with art, music, theatres and dance. It is situated in a number of venues including the prestigious Grimaldi Forum. The festival includes everything from ballet to poetry readings, as well as performances by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. To attend a concert it costs 20€ – 33€, and to get a festival pass it costs 150€.

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Until May 15 2011 art lovers on the Cote d’Azur will be able to visit , in the village of Saint Paul de Vence, a well-known haven for contemporary art, painting, sculpture and crafts.

The L’Artenciel Exhibition is in its third edition and includes the work of 25 artists’ and their views. This unique exhibition aims to ‘decompose the artistic spectrum’, which naturally provides an infinite number of visions, a prolific amount of colour and many unique and creative ways of expressing experiences and views of the world.

The Exhibition L’artenciel – translated as ‘Art in the Sky’, dismembers and scrutinizes the plurality of the world of art, ‘breaking the silence and boundaries’ and providing a landscape of discovery and exchange.

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Veteran actor, Robert De Niro has been handed the prestigious title chair of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

The 67 year old actor is the 3^rd American in 3 years to lead the 9 member jury after director, Tim Burton in 2010 and actor, Sean Penn in 2008. De Niro has expressed his gratitude by saying “The Cannes Film Festival is a rare opportunity for me as it is one of the oldest and one of the best in the world.” The organisers of the festival have said that they wanted to honour him not only for his acting talent, but also for his work in co-founding the Tribeca Film Festival in his native New York back in 2002.

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The pleasures of spring will soon be upon us including the Monaco Grand Prix, undoubtedly the most prestigious race of the F1 calendar. Going to watch one of the most demanding race circuits, which only the most skilful of F1 drivers can master, is a tremendously thrilling experience and so too is exploring and soaking up the atmosphere of the ‘millionaires playground’ on the French Riviera. If you are planning your 2011 sporting ventures, you may be interested to hear how you can experience the 69^th Monaco Grand Prix in the most luxurious of ways possible.

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