As is the case, there are almost too many choices for art exhibits in Provence. The following list is not exhaustive, but some 2023 shows in Marseille’s museums and beyond. Let’s start in Marseille, where MUCEM continues with ‘Amités, creativité, collective’ until 13 February. Next up is ‘Alexandrie: Futurs anterieurs’ …

Admittedly, we had never heard of Charleval or the significant neo-Gothic style castle on the edge of this agricultural village. Before the Château Charleval Provence Art Gallery, there had never been a reason to visit the town. Now, the former hunting lodge is a setting for “Amour Art Amitié” (Love, …

Diehard fan or not, you are likely aware of Bob Dylan’s success as a singer-songwriter and musician. However, it might have surprised others (besides me) when he won the 2016 Nobel Prize for literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” But, on the other …

Every time we come to Provence, we schedule a day for fun with cousin Annick who lives in Rognes, about an hour south of Sablet. She always comes up with new places or activities for us to experience, such as walking around Lacoste, climbing Mont Saint Victoire, and visiting the …

From time to time, you see something that makes you reconsider some of the decisions you’ve made in life, and a recent visit to the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) campus at Lacoste, was one of those moments. It was the first stop on our day with the …

Provence Invites Creativity Driving through towards Moulin de Gréoux, a soft evening light brushed the limestone spires of the Alpilles. At the same time, the olive groves and vineyards near Les Baux de Provence and Maussane created a multi-hued quilt of green vegetation. I did wonder how one might capture …

For its fourth season, the Villa Carmignac presents The Imaginary Sea (La Mer imaginaire), an ideal subject for this idiosyncratic gallery:  part of it is housed in an old building with views to the sea below, while the other part is underground, a modern exhibition space beneath a glass-bottomed pool.  …

Long-time Aixcentric followers will have read about the development of the old SNCF railway sheds and shunting yards into LUMA Arles, a stylish arts centre, funded by Swiss industrialist and art-lover Maja Hoffman. Hopefully, the photo gives you an idea of the scale of the ‘Parc des Ateliers’ site: the …

Father of Optical Art Victor Vasarely (1906 -1997) was a Hungarian-born artist and designer who spent much time working in Provence. His work encompassed architecture, publicity posters, fashion and even car design, as well as his signature op-art. Why not visit the Fondation Vasarely on the hillside overlooking Aix, beside …

My visit to Fondation Carmignac, the newly-opened art centre at Porquerolles, last year was by far my favourite outing of 2018. I was lucky to get there just before it closed for winter, when lots of the exhibits went back to Paris. The centre re-opened with fresh artworks, on April …