Since 1990, visitors to Aix have been able to follow in the footsteps of Cezanne courtesy of 3,500 markers on the pavements and footpaths, as he wended from home to studio to painting site and then to cafes in town after a long day at the easel. Now the Aix-en-Provence …

It’s 8:30 am and I’m walking west on the Cours Mirabeau toward the Fontaine de la Rotonde. The Cours is temporarily lined with wooden stalls for vendors working the holiday market — santoniers with their clay nativity figures, clothiers, toymakers, specialty food vendors, artists. The stalls are beginning to open, …

I’m up early, driving to l’Estaque. Heavy traffic along the Autoroute to Marseille, but not nearly what it will be during rush hour. I arrive around 7:45, with the sun just above the horizon. Visiting Cézanne’s L’Estaque I head first to Corbières at the eastern edge of the village. Cézanne …

As Aixcentric followers will know, the 18th-century country house, Jas de Bouffan, which was home to the Cezanne family for 40 years, was closed over a year ago for renovation.  I went in for a visit on its last day of opening, and my goodness, it needed renovation: think cold, …

Cézanne’s Studio Like most young artists learning to paint, I was attracted to and inspired by most of the impressionistic and post-impressionistic painters. I loved the work of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin and Cézanne and many more. When I arrived in Aix-en-Provence for the first time, I rushed up the …

The climate in Provence is not well-suited to cattle farming, so sheep and goats have roamed the hills and pastures in the region for centuries. As a result, Provencal markets are filled with an endless selection of goat (chèvre) and sheep (brebis) cheeses, and you can always find lamb in …

I am a big fan of Cézanne. I visited his studio a dozen times. I like his story and his paintings. I often offer this visit to my students coming for French immersion in Provence. The visit lasts 30 minutes. It can be done with a guide in French, with …

The Gardanne Market It’s Sunday and I’m Heading to the market in Gardanne. It’s a cold, grey, wet morning — brumeux. I arrive at about 8:00, just as the market is beginning to open and park the car at the head of Boulevard Carnot, directly across the street from the …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: ‘Cézanne et Moi’ (Filming took place near the Cathedral), which has been filmed in Aix, Paris and the north of France, will have its launch in Aix on the 12th September, rather than the usual Parisian launch. With Guillaume Gallienne and Guillaume Canet as the …Continue …

You can believe there was a lot of competition and jealousy among artists in Aix. In fact, the poster boy for Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne, was spurned by fellow artist and curator of The Museum of Aix from 1892 to 1925, Henri Pointier. Pointier, who never excelled to the degree that …