If you’d like to feel the presence of a man for whom “art is a revelation of an exquisite sensitivity”, then here, in Aix-en-Provence and the Aix Region, is where you can have that uniquely authentic, vivid and intimate Cezanne experience.
Discover the sites that inspired him
Cezanne's studio
In his quiet, brightly-lit studio, you’ll see the objects which were dear to him, the models for his final still-life paintings, his furniture, equipment he worked with, a thousand tiny details which connect you to the works of art created within these walls and today exhibited around the world. This is where you will feel the master’s presence most strongly, in the human simplicity of his everyday life.
The studio is closed for works. Reopening planned for spring 2025.
Bastide du Jas de Bouffan
At the bastide du Jas de Bouffan, today listed as a historical monument along with its grounds, a guided tour will tell you what this family property meant to the painter: a place where he lived, an anchor point, the theatre for his first paintings and a creative studio. Cezanne’s favourite views which appeared in fifty or so of his oil paintings and watercolours will also be revealed as you tour the country house.
The bastide is closed for works. Reopening planned for spring 2025.
Bibémus quarries
At the heart of the Grand Site Sainte-Victoire, the Bibémus quarries will unveil their majestic beauty on a trail created around the cottage where Cézanne stored his canvasses and sometimes used to sleep. On this 7 hectare plateau of extraordinary natural architecture, you will enter the master’s creative process (motifs, viewpoints, composition, geometrical approach, colours…). It is quite an emotional experience and you’ll understand how cubism was born here with a few world-famous paintings.
Where to see
works by Cezanne
in Aix-en-Provence?
Granet Museum
10 of Cezanne’s oil-paintings are owned by this museum, which is considered as one of the finest in France.
From 1857 to 1862, Cezanne studied drawing and copied paintings such as Kiss of the Muse by Frillié, The Prisoner of Chillon by Edouard Dubuffet and Peaches on a dish from the French school of the 17th century. A group of watercolours and drawings, also owned by the museum, is put on public display every 3 years to help conserve them.
Good deal: a ticket to cut the line with the Aix-en-Provence City Pass.
In the steps of Cezanne
Following in Cezanne’s footsteps, you’ll walk through the painter’s life, from the house where he was born to his final resting place in Saint-Pierre cemetery. You will see the town as the artist experienced it by following an elegantly signposted trail which includes significant places, landmarks of his youth, the houses of his family and those close to him and cafes he went to with friends.
NEW
Walk
in the footsteps of Cezanne
and visit the city
as he lived it.
A Cezanne experience
with your smartphone
in the real world!
Available free of charge
on Apple store and Google Play