Matisse Country

The little coastal village of Collioure continues to play muse to the entire Côte Vermeille—after all, it gave rise to the name of the Vermilion Coast, because the great painter Henri Matisse daringly painted Collioure's yellow-sand beach using a bright red terra-cotta hue. For such artistic daredevilry, he was branded a "fauve." Considered, along with Picasso, to be one of the most influential artists of the modern period, Matisse (1869–1954) and fellow painter André Derain (1880–1954) discovered Fauvism en vacances in Collioure in 1905.

Holed up here during that summer, the friends were seduced by its pink and mauve houses, ocher rooftops, and the dramatic combination of sea, sun, and hills. Back then, further touches of color were added by the red and green fishing boats. With nature's outré palette at hand, Matisse was inspired to passionate hues and a brash distortion of form.

Today Matisse's masterpieces grace the walls of the greatest museums in the world. In a sense, Collioure has something better: a host of virtual Matisses, 3-D Derains, and pop-up Dufys. Realizing this, the mayor decided to create the Chemin du Fauvisme (Fauvist Way) more than a decade ago, erecting 20 reproductions of Matisse's and Derain's works on the very spots where they were painted.

Matisse could return today and find things little changed: the Château Royal still perches over the harbor, the Fort Saint-Elme still makes a striking perspectival point on its hilltop, and the Plage Boramar still looks like a 3-acre Matisse.

Pick up the Chemin at the town's Espace Fauve by going to Quai de l'Amiraute (04–68–98–07–16) or check out its history at www.collioure.com.