Atelier de Cezanne (Cezanne's Studio), Aix-en-Provence (must see)
Head uphill from the city, and you'll find what might be the quietest place in Aix with the loudest artistic legacy鈥擟茅zanne鈥檚 Studio. Perched on Lauves Hill, this was Paul C茅zanne鈥檚 creative headquarters from 1902 until his death in 1906. No gallery glitz here鈥攋ust the real deal, exactly where he stood, mixed his paints, and glared at fruit until it revealed its geometric truth.
After his mother passed away and the family estate was sold, C茅zanne bought an old farmhouse with a generous patch of land and a postcard view of his muse鈥擬ountain Saint-Victoire. He added a studio upstairs with big south-facing windows and a glass roof to let in that famously moody Provence light. Downstairs was for living, upstairs was for working. The layout proved worthwhile as the result was paintings like The Bathers, still studied and swooned over.
When C茅zanne died, the studio passed to his son, who eventually sold it to writer Marcel Provence. Luckily, Provence was the sentimental type鈥攈e left the studio just as C茅zanne had, and artists and historians made quiet pilgrimages to soak in the genius vibes. After Provence鈥檚 death, art historian John Rewald and writer James Lord rallied to buy and preserve the site. By 1952, the C茅zanne Memorial Committee had turned the place into a museum.
Today, it鈥檚 owned by the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office and recognized as a House of the Illustrious鈥攚hich is France鈥檚 fancy way of saying 鈥淵es, this place really matters.鈥� Inside, you鈥檒l find C茅zanne鈥檚 brushes, easel, still-life props, and a sense of paused time. Temporary exhibits rotate through, but the real magic is standing in the room where modern art found its backbone.
After his mother passed away and the family estate was sold, C茅zanne bought an old farmhouse with a generous patch of land and a postcard view of his muse鈥擬ountain Saint-Victoire. He added a studio upstairs with big south-facing windows and a glass roof to let in that famously moody Provence light. Downstairs was for living, upstairs was for working. The layout proved worthwhile as the result was paintings like The Bathers, still studied and swooned over.
When C茅zanne died, the studio passed to his son, who eventually sold it to writer Marcel Provence. Luckily, Provence was the sentimental type鈥攈e left the studio just as C茅zanne had, and artists and historians made quiet pilgrimages to soak in the genius vibes. After Provence鈥檚 death, art historian John Rewald and writer James Lord rallied to buy and preserve the site. By 1952, the C茅zanne Memorial Committee had turned the place into a museum.
Today, it鈥檚 owned by the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office and recognized as a House of the Illustrious鈥攚hich is France鈥檚 fancy way of saying 鈥淵es, this place really matters.鈥� Inside, you鈥檒l find C茅zanne鈥檚 brushes, easel, still-life props, and a sense of paused time. Temporary exhibits rotate through, but the real magic is standing in the room where modern art found its backbone.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Atelier de Cezanne (Cezanne's Studio) on Map
Sight Name: Atelier de Cezanne (Cezanne's Studio)
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Aix-en-Provence, France (See walking tours in Aix-en-Provence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Aix-en-Provence, France
Create Your Own Walk in Aix-en-Provence
Creating your own self-guided walk in Aix-en-Provence is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Aix-en-Provence Fountains and Squares Tour
Aix-end-Provence is known for its fountains. With more than 1,000 fountains, a tourist could spend weeks walking around the city without glimpsing them all. The fountains began appearing under the Roman empire when the Romans discovered Aix's natural thermal water source. They referred to the area as Aquae Sextiae or the Waters of Sextius.
The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
The fountains appear throughout the city and are... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
In the Footsteps of Paul C茅zanne
Paul C茅zanne, often called the 鈥渇ather of modern art鈥� for bridging 19th-century post-impressionism and the birth of early modernism, caused a bit of a stir early in his career. While staying with Doctor Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise, he painted his take on Manet鈥檚 Olympia鈥攂ut with a twist. Instead of just a reclining nude, C茅zanne inserted himself into the scene, back turned, like a shy... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Aix-en-Provence Introduction Walking Tour
Aix-en-Provence may not have coastal views, but it compensates in style with its Roman bathwater and city logistics. Founded in 123 BC by Roman consul Gaius Sextius Calvinus, this southern French settlement鈥攐riginally named Aquae Sextiae, which means 鈥淲aters of Sextius鈥濃�攚as built around its thermal springs and the promise of a good soak. Centuries later, the name was streamlined to... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles