Cézanne and the Provençal charm of Aix-en-Provence

For much of his life, Cézanne 's work went unnoticed, despite having left behind 1,000 paintings and 600 watercolors for posterity , but after his death he was recognized as the ' father of modern painting ' and, now in 2025, Aix-en-Provence , the main city where he lived and created his paintings, pays tribute to the man, the artist and his work, with a major international exhibition and by showing the restoration of his family home and his last studio.

Water and light are a constant in this southern French city of nearly 150,000 inhabitants, a fact that captivated Cézanne until the end of his days. The painter loved the retro charm of this Provençal city, which is best explored leisurely, unhurriedly, to sit in its lively terraced cafés, gazing at the bubbling fountains, often covered in moss, or to enjoy the smell of village bread in a maze of narrow streets and squares, shaded by plane trees, where there's always a charming antique shop or flower market.

Cézanne and other painters such as Picasso and Van Gogh sought inspiration in the city and its surroundings. The old town, especially around the Cours Mirabeau , captivates with its 17th and 18th century cafés and villas and the sound of water in the immense Rotonde Fountain (1860) with its three statues dedicated to the arts, agriculture and justice. It's easy to imagine how Cézanne and his friend Émile Zola could enjoy their evening aperitifs chatting at the Café Les Deux Garçons , although unfortunately a fire on December 1, 2019 reduced this historic establishment to ashes and the entire building remains encapsulated today, awaiting a miraculous restoration.

Zola and Cézanne were classmates at the Bourbon Institute, now the Mignet Lycée, and their friendship blossomed into an almost brotherly relationship. The painter loved strolling through the magically lit countryside of Aix, but he could also walk with his great friend to the Place du Hôtel de Ville , dominated by its popular Clock Tower , on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings when the flower market is held. Locals still gather here to enjoy the aromas and the delicious almond paste cookies, shaped like a diamond or a woman's lip and scented with fruit, called 'calissons'. The setting is as popular as Place Richelme, which is occupied every morning by farmers and producers selling olives, cheeses, fruit, and foie gras, a colorful spectacle ideal for Instagrammers.

Just 200 meters from the fruit vendors, the 18th-century Place des Albertas is awe-inspiring. It is surrounded by elegant Baroque and Rococo buildings. Everyone considers it the city's most beautiful square, reminiscent of a royal Parisian square and embellished by a grand fountain. Richelme and Albertas are on the path to Cézanne's studio to experience the painter's intensity in his favorite hiding place among his most personal belongings: his painting apron, the models for his latest still lifes, his furniture, his walking sticks, the card player's pipe, and other work materials.

Cézanne decided to take refuge in this place after his years of work in Paris because he was looking for a space of peace and quiet to dedicate himself entirely to his study and art. Now this Lauves Studio has reopened, remodeled, on June 28th, exhibiting the artist's final palette, which is as surprising as the human skulls, now protected by safety glass, or the wicker baskets where he kept apples, the fruit he most enjoyed studying and painting. With the renovation of the atelier, completely refurbished for the first time, an interpretation center and a bridge connecting it to the workshop and his 50 m² studio on the upper floor, flooded with natural light, have been opened.

The magical luminosity of the Aix countryside can be admired in the Bibémus quarries , located very close to the city on a magical rocky plain that was partly used for a long time as a stone quarry for the 17th and 18th century buildings that embellished Aix-en-Provence.

At the time of Cézanne, the quarries were practically abandoned, which the painter took advantage of by renting a small cabin where he could store his canvases and work utensils and even sleep if necessary. From this place Cézanne could admire a view of the Sainte Victoire mountain , his pictorial obsession, which he captured in several paintings (44 oil paintings and 43 watercolors), many of them between 1902 and 1906, Cézanne's prolific period before his death.

Back in the city, you should visit Cézanne's second most-visited space in Aix-en-Provence: the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan . He considered it his family estate, a home where he lived and the setting for his early works and creative studio. It was acquired by his father in 1859. For 40 years, Cézanne found inspiration here.

On the ground floor, he painted a dozen murals in the great hall as a young man and set up his easel in the park in front of the house, the pond, and his statues, creating thirty-six oil paintings and seventeen watercolors during this period of his life. Now, after a meticulous restoration, these paintings on the hall walls can be admired in a large lighting installation, along with the studio he set up on the upper floor of the building.

Another new development related to the painter concerns gastronomy. Villa Gallici, the city's most luxurious five-star hotel, offers a menu named after Cézanne. Christophe Gavot , chef of the La Taula restaurant for the past 22 years, won the competition to select this culinary proposal, which "aims to modernize Cézanne's favorite dishes based on vegetables, especially artichokes, fish, and apples."

Christophe prepares three dishes with seasonal ingredients for 135 euros , but his menu is full of fine French cuisine, with specialties such as cold lobster and creamy shrimp soup, green asparagus with basil and mascarpone, and tiramisu.

The Cézanne Year takes place from June 28th to October 12th at the Musée Granet , which is hosting an international exhibition featuring around one hundred masterpieces, including 90 paintings by Paul Cézanne and several loans from major French and international museums, such as the Musée d'Orsay. A visit to the exhibition, entitled ' Cézanne au Jas de Bouffan ', can be better understood with the interesting 30-minute film shown by the Hôtel de Caumont on the artist's eventful life, and with a visit to the Hôtel de Gallifet , now a contemporary art centre, which has organised an exhibition ('Echos de Cézanne') from July 1st to September 28th.

Nicolas Mazet , the owner of this building, has brought together 40 contemporary artists for this exhibition with one goal. "We opened this center fifteen years ago," he comments in his garden, "so that the next Cézanne would have a place in his own city where he could exhibit his work. He never managed to show a painting in an art museum in Aix-en-Provence during his lifetime, and what we want is for people to be able to see today's painting and judge it for themselves without any pressure."