Until October 31, Nice invites you to discover the exhibition “Botanists at the Summit” at the Louis Nucéra Library.
In the mid-19th century, botanists and mountaineers roamed the Argentera-Mercantour, some in search of plants, others in pursuit of the many untouched summits. All these men were sensitive to the quality of the nature they discovered there. The exhibition pays tribute to these pioneers of biodiversity studies who contributed, through their work, to the reputation of the Nice region and whose names, in some cases, have been preserved in place names: Antoine Risso, Justin-Ignace Montolivo, Emile Burnat, Clarence Bicknell, Joseph Vallot, and Victor de Cessole, among others…
From the late 18th century, the County of Nice had a strong botanical reputation. While naturalists from all over Europe came to discover our region, local botanists from Nice also contributed to the understanding of this biodiversity. Among the most notable:
Augustin Balmossière-Chartroux (1729-1813), who, from 1780, compiled an important herbarium of over six hundred plants;
– Jean-Baptiste Verany (1800-1865), who opened the first Cabinet of Curiosities in 1828 and was instrumental in founding the first Museum of Nice in 1846;
– Jean-Baptiste Barla (1817-1896), who devoted his time and fortune to the study of natural sciences. He is especially known for his exceptional mushroom mold collections but also studied vascular plants and fish. In 1862, he had a building constructed to present his collections to the public, which he bequeathed to the City of Nice upon his death, and which later became the current Museum of Natural History, often called the Barla Museum;
– Vincent Fossat (1822-1891), a watercolor painter employed by Jean-Baptiste Barla in 1853. He created thousands of naturalist watercolors at the Nice Museum, which today constitute an exceptional body of work.
