Cézanne Aix-en-Provence 2025 : A Year of Celebration

A City and Its Painter

Paul Cézanne, born in Aix-en-Provence in 1839, is often called the father of modern art. His daring approach to perspective, his love of form, and his quest to paint “truth in nature” reshaped the very foundations of painting. Without Cézanne, there would be no Cubism, no Fauvism, and modern art would look altogether different. Yet beyond his artistic legacy, Cézanne remained deeply attached to the landscapes and rhythms of his native Provence.

For him, Aix was not only home, it was an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The cafés where he sketched, the shaded squares, the Bibémus quarries, and of course, the iconic Montagne Sainte-Victoire, all found their way onto his canvases. To walk through Aix is, in many ways, to walk through Cézanne’s work.

Portrait of the Artist, Paul Cézanne, 1880

Cézanne Aix-en-Provence 2025 : A Cultural Milestone

In 2025, Aix-en-Provence reclaims Cézanne with renewed devotion. The city has declared it the year of Cézanne, Cézanne Aix-en-Provence 2025, a landmark cultural event that honors the man, the artist, and his profound connection to this Provençal capital.

The year’s program includes a major international exhibition, bringing together works from the Musée d’Orsay, the National Gallery in London, the MoMA in New York, and private collections rarely seen by the public. For the first time in decades, the breadth of Cézanne’s vision, still lifes, portraits, and landscapes will be reunited in the very place they were imagined.

But this celebration is not confined to galleries. 2025 also marks the rehabilitation and progressive reopening of his family home on Rue Boulegon, a site that reveals his intimate life beyond the canvas. In addition, the Atelier des Lauves, his final studio overlooking Aix, will welcome visitors with restored spaces that capture the atmosphere in which masterpieces such as The Bathers and Mont Sainte-Victoire were created.

This anniversary inaugurates a new cycle of remembrance and rediscovery, placing Cézanne firmly at the center of Aix’s cultural identity. For art lovers and travelers alike, Cézanne Aix-en-Provence 2025 is a once-in-a-generation experience.

Walking in Cézanne’s Footsteps

One of the most enchanting ways to discover Cézanne in Aix is by following the bronze medallions embedded in the cobblestones. These markers form the Cézanne Trail, guiding visitors to key places in his life : his childhood home, his favorite cafés, the schools he attended, and the streets where he found light and form.

From the Cours Mirabeau, shaded by centuries-old plane trees, to the quiet Place d’Albertas, every corner of Aix evokes the same rhythm that shaped Cézanne’s vision. Just outside the city, the Route Cézanne, a protected heritage site, winds through landscapes painted countless times by the artist. Driving or walking this road is like entering his canvases, where olive trees, cypress, vineyards, and the rising mass of Montagne Sainte-Victoire align into compositions that feel instantly familiar.

In the Bibémus Quarries, ochre cliffs and stone terraces reveal the raw geometry that inspired Cézanne’s bold structures. Meanwhile, the Château Noir, another of his painting haunts, whispers of the artist’s solitude and intensity. These are not just places to see, they are places to feel, to stand within Cézanne’s gaze.

Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley, Paul Cézanne, 1882–85

A City Alive with Celebration

Throughout 2025, Aix-en-Provence will pulse with special events, lectures, open-air screenings, and cultural gatherings dedicated to Cézanne. Guided walks, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, and curated itineraries will bring his world to life, blending art, history, and Provençal lifestyle. The city’s fountains, markets, and shaded terraces will serve as living backdrops to this cultural homage.

Gastronomy and hospitality also join the celebration. Michelin-starred chefs reinterpret Cézanne’s favorite ingredients, local fruits, Provençal herbs, olive oil, and wines from nearby vineyards, into tasting menus that echo the colors and textures of his canvases. Luxury hotels in Aix are offering curated Cézanne experiences, combining private tours, exclusive access to exhibitions, and spa treatments inspired by Provence’s natural beauty.

For travelers, Cézanne Aix-en-Provence 2025 is more than an exhibition, it is a way of inhabiting a city at its most luminous, where art and daily life converge seamlessly.

Olea Voyages : Curating Your Cézanne Experience

At Olea Voyages, we believe that to understand Cézanne is to immerse yourself not just in his paintings, but in his Provence. That means wandering Aix’s markets in the morning light, pausing in shaded squares where he once sat, gazing at Sainte-Victoire in the shifting glow of late afternoon.

We craft experiences that bring Cézanne’s world to life with elegance and depth: private access to exhibitions, guided visits with art historians, tailored vineyard tours in the landscapes he painted, and time to savor Aix’s balance of culture and lifestyle.

Because in 2025, Cézanne is not only celebrated in museums. He is everywhere, in the stones, the streets, the sky, and the rhythm of a city that has never forgotten him.