Cezanne 2025 :

4 exhibitions – absolute musts - in Aix-en-Provence

For the 2025 Cezanne year Aix-en-Provence is celebrating its favourite painter through four major exhibitions. From his attachment to Jas de Bouffan to the late recognition by his birth town, and significant rétrospectives and a fun immersion for the youngest, these events focus on the artist’s multiple facets and plunge you into the heart of the world of Paul Cezanne.

Cezanne at Jas de Bouffan – at the Musée Granet

From 28th June to 12th October 2025

The Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence, one of the most beautiful museums in the region, is hosting the must-see event « Cezanne au Jas de Bouffan ». This retrospective offers a fascinating plunge into the creative world of Paul Cezanne, focusing specifically on the intimate link he had with Jas de Bouffan, his family home which was a real artistic laboratory for him. For nearly forty years, from 1860 to 1899, Cezanne explored and developed his pictorial techniques in around a hundred works carefully selected for this unique exhibition. A total immersion into the artistic evolution of Cezanne, from his promising beginnings to his more significant works and showcases the great themes which inspired his work: Provencal landscapes, bathers, still lives… Among the most important pieces to discover are masterpieces such as « Les Quatre Saisons: Le Printemps, L’Été, L’Automne, L’Hiver », « Le Baigneur au rocher », « Les Joueurs de cartes », and many others. A unique opportunity to discover the sustainable heritage left by one of the greatest painters in the history of modern art, in an exceptional museum which is the ideal setting for this exhibition on an international scale.

Aix and Cezanne – at the Musée du Vieil Aix

6th June 2025 – 5th January 2026

The Musée du Vieil Aix also offers an unusual exhibition entitled « Aix et Cezanne », which explores the complex relationship between Paul Cezanne and his birth town. Even if the painter is now famous in Aix-en-Provence, his work has not always been recognised there and the love story between the painter and the town was no smooth romance. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the local art scene, which was still very academic, found it difficult to accept his bold pictorial research. Cezanne, who trained in Paris and was influenced by impressionism, developed a singular technique which gave rise to misunderstanding and rejection, particularly in the case of Henri Dobler, an influential figure in the art world of the time. The exhibition traces the opposition that Cezanne met through paintings, photos, archive documents and patrimonial items, and shows his influence on Aixois artists such as Joseph Ravaisou and Édouard Ducros. It also focuses on the essential role of Marcel Provence, who purchased the Atelier des Lauves in 1921 and strove to rehabilitate the painter. A mix of rejection and posthumous admiration, the exhibition « Aix et Cezanne » offers a captivating immersion into the story of a genius whose town, for a long time reticent, is now insparable.

The exhibition of all exhibitions – Cezanne at the Pavillon Vendôme in 1956 and 1961

19th June – 2nd November 2025

The exhibition is a flashback on two significant exhibitions on the artist at Pavillon de Vendôme, one in 1956, the other in 1961. In 1956, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cezanne’s death, an exceptional retrospective grouped 90 works, including several of Sainte-Victoire. Despite the tensions with other international exhibitions, the one in Aix-en-Provence stood out due to its Provencal rooting, and thanks to Léo Marchutz’s implication. Five years later, in 1961, a new exhibition, jointly organised with the town of Vienne, presented around sixty works and was marked by a resounding scandal:eight paintings were stolen and returned for a ransom. The 2025 edition will relive these Cezannesque moments in virtual reality. At the same time, several works from the exhibitions of 1956 and 1961 will be hung in the Musée Granet, establishing a dialogue between the two events. And lastly, a journal designed by the author Camille Lavaud Benito in partnership with the Rencontres du 9e Art will, using the press of the time, tell the story of the incredible theft in 1961.

La petite galerie Cézanne – at the Galerie de la Manufacture

4th February – 12th October 2025

And kids also have their exhibition! The town of Aix-en-Provence invites children from 3 to 5 to discover the world of the famous painter in an immersive and participative exhibition: La Petite Galerie Cezanne. Shown in the Galerie de la Manufacture, the exhibition offers a fun sensory itinerary specially designed for children. Young visitors can explore Cézanne’s themes, techniques and inspiration in age-adapted interactive workshops and games. They will learn how to compose a still life, experiment with perspective and play with colours on an interactive wall inspired by the chromatic circles of the painter. The exhibition also addresses the artist’s personal life: his childhood in Aix-en-Provence, his years in Paris, his family ties and recurrent designs. To close the tour, a contemplation area will allow children to immerse themselves in Cézanne’s world and feel all the power and colour of his painting. A unique opportunity to discover the work of « the father of modern art » differently and celebrate his heritage with the family!

Cezanne at Aix-en-Provence

Agenda

You can also book a guided tour in the footsteps of Paul Cézanne in Aix-en-Provence. Guided tours are organised in several languages throughout the year.

Agenda Cezanne 2025