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After the visit to the studio, the master brought chairs out onto the terrace in front of the house, which enjoys a magnificent view of the town, ringed by mountains. We talked at length of the beauty of the landscape and of how his art is so firmly rooted in this sun-bathed land.
Karl Ernst Osthaus on a visit to Cézanne, 1906
Cézanne died in 1906 after making one last attempt to capture the beauty of Sainte-Victoire. This solitary man, so little cut out for brilliant artistic conversation in Paris drawing rooms, paced the red earth of Provence beneath the burning sun – his corner of Provence, a fierce, harsh land, massively shaped. His quest gave rise to profound works of art which altered the course of painting in the 20th century and transformed the image of Provence in the eyes of the world. To mark the centenary, the city of Aix-en-Provence, the Community of the Pays d’Aix and the Ministry for Culture and Communication, in partnership with the Region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône, are joining forces to make 2006 a year tribute to Cézanne.
The exhibition Cézanne in Provence was the pivotal event of the celebratory year The exhibition is a coproduction by the Granet Museum /Community of the Pays d’Aix and France’s national museum network RMN, organized jointly with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it was go on display from 29 January to 7 May 2006.
The year of Cézanne is marked by numerous events, offering school pupils, students and the public at large an opportunity to gain valuable insights into the painter’s work and the pivotal role which it played in the advent of modern art. Tributes from artists, cultural players and the people of Provence, in the shape of creative works, discussion forums, public lectures, exhibitions and performances, will reaffirm the artistic vitality of the region.
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