The presence of painter Paul Cezanne in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence, France, is expressed through a network of exceptional sites where he lived. It is a unique journey offering visitors a full perspective on his life and his art.

This year marks the beginning of a new Cezanne era in Aix-en-Provence with the June opening of la bastide Jas de Bouffan, Cezanne’s family home, as well as his entire workshop, being completely refurbished for the full experience. Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence will host a major exhibition for nearly four months, and Granet XXth, The Jean Planque Collection, welcomes the exceptional loan of the Pearlman collection from June 28 to Oct. 12.

© Office de Tourisme d’Aix-en-Provence

As a result of la bastide Jas de Bouffan’s opening to the public, visitors will have the whole summer of 2025 to discover 100 works, paintings and drawings that cover all the themes during the 40 years where la bastide Jas de Bouffan reigned over his life. The exhibit will include some exceptional loans: Maison et ferme du Jas de Bouffan and Portrait of Joachim Gasquet (1896), both loaned for the first time in Aix-en-Provence by Narodni Galerie in Prague. Additionally, Musée d’Orsay will loan Joueurs des Cartes (The Card Players), one of the artist’s most famous paintings.

Granet XXth, the annex of the museum dedicated to the XXth 20th-Century, will also host the Pearlman collection from Princeton University Art Museum for three years, beginning this June. Pearlman’s tastes included works by Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani and Soutine, but Cezanne would prove his most enduring obsession, and his collection includes six paintings and 16 of the finest watercolors by Cezanne.

© OT Aix/Thomas Luppor

La Bastide Jas de Bouffan is a site of great importance for Paul Cezanne’s creations. From his youth, there are 12 compositions painted directly on the walls of the large living room. The compositions of Joueurs de Carte include models of peasants or workers from the farm, with his country house revealing itself as the primary inspiration for Cezanne’s work.

After two years of preparation, Cezanne’s studio will offer visitors a new experience to discover the works created there during the last four years of his life. Lauves’ hillte, leaning against Lauves’ hill, was built in 1901 according to plans Cezanne drew himself. In 1954, the Cezanne Memorial Committee purchased the studio under the direction of American John Rewald, and then offered it to University of Aix-Marseille the same year. Cezanne’s studio opened to the public as a museum the same year.

The atmosphere of the workshop itself will be carefully crafted into a space as simple as possible, and as close as possible to what Cezanne experts believe it looked like.

Bibemus quarries © OT Aix/Sophie Spiteri

Another Cezanne location, Bibemus quarries, appear as a true open-air museum with breathtaking views of the 3,300-foot Sainte-Victoire Mountain. The discovery walking tour has been reviewed by the city to allow a guided tour highlighting most Cezanne-related locations.