Nice Tramway Public Art Commission Transforms City with 15 International Artists

After four years of disruptive construction, Nice has inaugurated a new tram line accompanied by an ambitious public art commission led by François Barré. Fifteen international artists have installed works along the route, integrating art into the urban fabric from working-class northern neighborhoods to the central arteries. Jaume Plensa's 'Conversation à Nice' features seven monumental resin figures on poles at Place Masséna, illuminated with shifting colors at dusk. Jean-Michel Othoniel created a baroque 'Confident' at Square Doyen Jean-Lépine, combining aluminum rings and Murano glass beads. Sarkis transformed the Porte Fausse staircase with 16,400 gold leaves, three types of marble, and a black marble basin for messages. Yann Kersalé's 'Amorce du bleu' covers part of Avenue Jean-Médecin with an aerial morse-code vault, while Jacques Vieille's opalescent palm tree marks the city's edge. Emmanuel Saulnier contributed discreet interventions at the Las Planas terminus, including a stainless steel rail inscribed 'elle s'écoule' alongside a water source. Stéphane Magnin and Pascal Pinaud recycled old streetlights into an exuberant composition at Saint-Jean d'Angély. Tram stations feature calligraphy and aphorisms by Ben, and Michel Redolfi composed sound pieces for the vehicles. The commission updates the Riviera's tradition as an artistic haven.