BAIE DES ANGES WAS FILMED BY HEDI SLIMANE IN NICE, ON THE HISTORIC “PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS” ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST.

ONE OF FRANCE’S MOST ICONIC SEAFRONTS, “PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS”, WAS BUILT IN THE 18TH CENTURY BY THE ENGLISH ARISTOCRACY WHO TOOK UP A SECOND HOME FOR THEIR WINTER RESIDENCE ALONG THE CÔTE D’AZUR. FIRST KNOWN AS “CAMIN DEIS ANGLÉS” IN LOCAL DIALECT, THE ROAD WAS LATER CHRISTENED “LA PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS” IN 1860. REPEATED HOLIDAYS ON THE RIVIERA BY THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY STRENGTHENED THE REPUTATION OF CÔTE D’AZUR ACROSS THE BRITISH EMPIRE. THE FREQUENT VISITS OF QUEEN VICTORIA AND HER COURT, FIRST AT THE GRAND HÔTEL AND THEN AT HÔTEL REGINA, WHICH THE QUEEN OPENED IN 1897, LEFT A LASTING IMPRESSION ON NICE.

THE SETTING FOR THE BAIE DES ANGES VIDEO IS A NOTABLE BUILDING ON “THE PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS”, WHICH IS THE CENTENARIAN PALACE LE NEGRESCO, CONCEIVED BY HENRI ALEXANDRE NEGRESCU AND DUTCH ARCHITECT EDOUARD-JEAN NIERMANS. LE NEGRESCO OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1913 AND IS ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF THE “BELLE EPOQUE” AND NEO-CLASSICAL MOVEMENTS ON THE FRENCH RIVIERA. THE HOTEL NEGRESCO HAS BEEN A CENTRE FOR INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, POLITICIANS AND ROYALTY THROUGHOUT THE 20TH CENTURY.

THE NEIGHBORING VILLA MASSÉNA, WHICH IS FEATURED IN THE VIDEO, WAS BUILT ON THE “PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS” BETWEEN 1898 AND 1901 BY THE DANISH ARCHITECT HANS-GEORG TERSLING, ONE OF THE MOST RENOWN ARCHITECTS OF THE FRENCH RIVIERA DURING THE “BELLE EPOQUE” ERA. THE STYLE IS NEOCLASSICAL WITH STRONG ITALIANATE CHARACTERISTICS. THE VILLA WAS THE WINTER RESIDENCE OF PRINCE VICTOR OF ESSLING (1836-1910) GRANDSON OF THE NIÇOIS ANDRÉ MASSÉNA. HIS SON, ANDRÉ, WAS THE HEIR TO THE ESTATE. AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, ANDRÉ DONATED IT TO THE CITY OF NICE IN 1919, AND THE MUSEUM MASSÉNA WAS THEN SUBSEQUENTLY INAUGURATED IN 1921.

SEEN THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO, NICE’S ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY SITS AT THE TOP OF MONT-GROS, A HILL NEAR THE CITY. INAUGURATED IN 1875 AND PERCHED AT AN ALTITUDE OF 375 M, THE OBSERVATORY WAS JOINT COMMISSIONED BY PROMINENT ARCHITECT CHARLES GARNIER, ALSO KNOWN FOR THE FAMOUS PARIS OPERA GARNIER MONUMENT, AND THE CELEBRATED ENGINEER GUSTAVE EIFFEL, CREATOR OF THE EIFFEL TOWER. THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED BY GARNIER, WHILE EIFFEL TOOK CHARGE OF THE VAST 24M ROTATING DOME, WHICH OPENS TO SEE THE STARS.