Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Villeneuve Castle is a 17th-century building located on the walls of the old town of Vence, in the Alpes-Maritimes department. Built by the family of Villeneuve, lords and then Marquis de Vence, it embodies the aristocratic architecture of this period in Provence.

In the 20th century, the castle belonged to Émile Hugues (1901-1966), deputy mayor of Vence and minister under the Fourth Republic. He donated it to the commune, transforming the place into the Émile-Hugues Foundation, a cultural space dedicated to temporary exhibitions. The latter celebrates the visits of major artists such as Matisse, Dufy, Chagall or Dubuffet, who have marked the artistic history of Vence.

The castle is part of a rich local heritage, including the city walls and the family of Villeneuve, whose influence shaped the history of the region. Today, it links the seigneurial past of Vence to its contemporary cultural dynamism.

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