Porquerolles is the largest of the 3 Iles d’Or (Islands of Gold), easily accessible from the coast. We did the short (20 min) crossing from La Tour Fondu, near Hyères, roughly a 90-minute drive from Aix-en-Provence, depending on traffic. I hadn’t visited Porquerolles for many years and was surprised at …

There seems to have been a deluge of Picasso work recently in Marseille, Aix, Les Baux, and Cannes, but the small exhibition at Aix’s Pavillon Vendome, ‘Villers Picasso—Coup de Soleil,‘ really is worth investigating. André Villers was just 22 and recovering from 6 years in a tuberculosis sanatorium when he …

French fashion designer Christian Lacroix can be relied on to bring a stylish rather Baroque flourish to everything he does. A proud Arlésien, he has transitioned to Avignon to curate their new show, Mirabilis, for which he has chosen 350 to 400 works, documents and collections, from prehistory to ethnic …

The Musée Cantini has recently re-opened and is hosting an exhibition of paintings from Glasgow’s Burrell Collection, itself now closed for renovation. Sir William Burrell, a member of a wealthy Scottish ship-building family, was an avid collector of art and amassed 9000 items he donated to Glasgow in 1944.  He …

Ai Weiwei and Marseille This is a highly political show—and highly personal, too. Much is about the artist’s relationship with his father (Ai Qing), whose ship from Shanghai in 1929 docked right next to where MuCEM is today. Indeed, it was France that inspired him to become a poet, a …

Here’s a suggestion for an interesting art lover’s outing, about an hour’s drive from Aix-en-Provence.  La Commanderie de Peyrassol is not only a successful Var vineyard producing 500,000 bottles of wine a year but is a fast-growing contemporary sculpture park. Continue reading here for details from Lynne’s visit to this vineyard’s modern …

The Bastide Rose is the beautiful honey-coloured home of Poppy Salinger who was married to JFK’s press secretary, journalist and writer Pierre Salinger. It stands by the translucent river Sorgue and is the setting for an annual sculpture show. This year, its theme is Amour, in harmony with the MP2018 …

To add to my previous post, which concentrated on the opening weekend for the Picasso-Picabia exhibition at the Musée Granet, there will be a weekly guided tour of the exhibition in English on Fridays at 15:00 hrs (entry fee + 4 euros). French tours will take place Tuesday through Sunday …

NG Art Creative Residency Nicky Ginsberg has been engrossed in the world of art and emerging artistic talent for over 30 years. Born in the United Kingdom, Ginsberg ended up in Sydney, Australia after a stint in France. Over that period, her art history background, understanding of the commercial aspects …

Vincent Van Gogh Meets Provence Born in the Netherlands in 1853, Vincent Van Gogh started his painting in his twenties. Among his works were several themes, like self-portraits, landscapes, still life competitions, and plant paintings such as sunflowers and cypress trees. During these early times, most people did not appreciate …