Cezanne Anniversary in Provence

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Cezanne Anniversary in Provence
In case you haven’t noticed—and it would be hard not to notice in France at the moment—this year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of France’s famed nature painter Paul Cèzanne who came haltingly to the fore in the era of impressionism but became, in his latter years, one of the forerunners of cubism..   Not always honored or recognized during his lifetime, Cèzanne, over the years, has risen in prominence to the level of many of his contemporaries such as Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir or Edgar Degas.   Fittingly, it was while he was painting his favorite subject, the Mont Sainte Victoire near Aix-en-Provence, the city where he was born and in the region where he did most of his work, that death overtook him on the 13th of October, 1906 at the age of 67.   To mark the centenary of his passing; the Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence’s main museum, has organized an extensive exhibition devoted to Cezanne’s heritage that opened on June 9 and will run through September 17.   Titled “Cézanne en Provence,” it features 117 of Cèzanne’s paintings (85 oils and 32 water colors) including works on loan from major museums and private collections around the world and is the most extensive collection of his painting ever gathered together.   It has been organized by the Granet and various French museum authorities jointly with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, which displayed most of the same paintings from January 29 to May 7  But it’s special attraction is the fact that now those paintings are being displayed in the very landscape where Cèzanne created them, thus providing special pertinence. .   France’s current focus on Cèzanne extends nationwide.. Television coverage has been heavy. Bookshops abound with special magazine issues, newspaper supplements, books, biographies or DVDs about his career and virtually every village or site in or around Aix-en-Provence that legitimately can claim even the slightest connection with the artist has organized some kind of exhibition or festivity associated with him. Most spectacular, perhaps–the Berlin philharmonic orchestra’ s outdoor concert in his honor at the foot of the Mont Sainte Victoire on July 5.   To the Granet’s credit, they are managing all this attention very efficiently and professionally.  The paintings are well displayed, with accompanying pertinent explanations about the significance of each in the artist’s career. Although they are only in French, even non-French speakers can get the gist with the help of well-conceived guides in various languages that are freely distributed to visitors at entry .   Also, although it is not unusual for the exhibition to attract more than 8,000 visitors a day, a carefully regulated admittance flow has, so far, kept entry waiting time to a minimum and visitors in each of the display rooms reasonably dispersed so that the paintings can be seen without having to peek over or jostle people blocking your view.   To assist these efforts, however, the Granet strongly recommends that would-be visitors reserve an entry time in advance if possible.   Musée Granet Place Saint-Jean de Malte Aix-en Provence Telephone number for all information: 33 (0)4 42 52 88 32 The exhibition is open from 0900 to 1900 daily and until 2200 on Thursdays. Tickets are 10 Euros (roughly 12;50 dollars) per person with various reduced tariffs for groups, large families, young people and seniors. Children under 13, permanently unemployed persons and those on welfare are admitted free. . Guided tours are conducted at 1030 and 1700 every day. Tickets are available and reservations can be made in Aix at the Office of Tourisme, 2 Place General de Gaulle, from 0900 to 1200 and from 1400-1800.  
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