Walk in the steps of Cézanne and visit the city as he experienced it…
A pedestrian route marked by studs stamped with a “C” allows you to discover the landmarks of his early years (the houses where he lived as a child, his schools, etc), the places that marked him, the addresses of his family and acquaintances, the cafés where he met his friends and other artists…
From classical elegance to Baroque opulence, Aix’s architectural heritage is the setting for your walk in the old town and its surroundings.
3.3 km
|
max. 205 m
min. 181 m
3 m
| |||
Accessibility | ||||
Styles : DiscoveryIn town Themes : CulturalPatrimony |
Next to the Tourist Office. Bronze by Gabriel Sterk, donated to the city in 2006 by the Aix-en-OEuvres association.
2 bis, avenue Victor Hugo. Founded in 1894, the company moved into these premises, a former garage, in 1895. Cézanne exhibited paintings there on three occasions: - 1895: The Arc Valley and landscape (study). - 1902: Meadow at Jas de Bouffan, near Aix and still life. - 1906: Castle of the devil otherwise known as Black Castle on the Tholonet road.
41, rue Cardinale (formerly collège Bourbon) Cézanne was a pupil here from 1852 (first year of secondary school) to 1858. After failing the first session of the arts baccalaureate on 4 August 1858, Cézanne passed it on 12 November 1858. This is where he became friends with the writer Émile Zola, the scientist Jean-Baptistin Baille and Louis Marguery (Court attorney).
8, rue Frédéric Mistral (formerly rue de la Monnaie) Marie, the artist’s sister, lived here in 1897 (letter from Cézanne to Solari dated 30 January 1897).
9, rue Frédéric Mistral On 12 February 1891, after their trip to Switzerland, Cézanne reduced the allowance of his wife and son so that they would return to Aix. As Hortense had fallen out with her in-laws, Cézanne set them up in this apartment while he lived at the Jas de Bouffan house with his mother and sister.
Place Saint-Jean-de-Malte As student here from 1857 to 1862, Cézanne took life model classes and lessons in drawing antiquities in which the models were plasters and marbles conserved in the museum. On 25 August 1859, he received the School’s second prize for drawing.
Place Saint-Jean-de-Malte Funeral of Mrs Cézanne senior, on 27 October 1897.
Rue du Maréchal Joffre On 19 October 1866, Cézanne wrote to Zola: ”As Father Gibert from the museum had invited me to visit the Bourguignon Museum, I went with Baille, Marion and Valabrègue. I found it all bad.” The Bourguignon de Fabregoules collection, bequeathed to the city of Aix for the Granet Museum, was shown in this former chapel for ten years, from 1866 to 1876. Today, the Jean Planque collection is exhibited.
Cézanne was buried here on 24 October 1906 (lane n°6). The ashes of John Rewald, the art historian who founded the Cézanne’s Studio Museum, have been here since 1994.
Rue de l’Opéra The sculptor Philippe Solari (1840-1906) was a childhood friend of Cézanne.
9, rue de l’Opéra On 4 February 1904, on his return from Egypt via Marseille, the painter Émile Bernard visited Cézanne in Aix for the first time.
20, rue Émeric David In mid-September, Mrs Cézanne senior left L’Estaque and the family moved to this new address. The house, which cost 16,500 Francs, was part of Rose’s dowry. Cézanne’s nieces and nephews born: Marthe-Anna-Marie Conil on 3 October 1882, Marie-Antoinette-Paule Conil on 3 May 1885, Marie-Rose-Amélie Conil on 27 December 1888, and Louis Conil on 20 September 1892.
15, rue Émeric David Cézanne stayed for a month and rented an apartment from Mrs de S… before moving into the ground floor of the Lauves Studio.
55, cours Mirabeau Home of Louis-Auguste Cézanne. After working in the Aix factory of the wool merchant Dethés, Paul’s father Louis-Auguste Cézanne left and went to Paris to learn the hatter’s trade. On his return in 1825, he worked in the Carbonnel workshop at this address and met Anne-Élisabeth Aubert, who was a hat-maker at the time. After the birth of Paul, Anne-Élisabeth Aubert and her baby moved in with the child’s father.
53 bis, cours Mirabeau (ground floor of the Gantès Hotel). On 7 October 1906, Cézanne wrote to his son: ”Yesterday evening before dinner, from 4 to about 7pm, I was with Capdeville (the pharmacist), Niolon (the painter), Fernand Bouteille (president of the Bar), etc., at the Café des Deux Garçons.”
30, cours Mirabeau. She lived here from 1895 onwards. From June to September 1897, Cézanne visited his mother every evening and dined with her: ”He has supper in the evening and stays the night with his mother, whom he cares for tenderly. She is disabled; he takes her out in the car, and to enjoy the sunshine at Le Jas. She is as slim and slight as a child, and he carries her himself, in his arms which are still strong, from the car to her chair. He is constantly telling her affectionate jokes.” This is where she died on 25 October 1897.
14, rue de la Glacière The registered residence of Louis-Auguste Cézanne at the time of his wedding in 1844. In the marriage contract drawn up on 10 January 1844, Louis-Auguste is mentioned as a former hatter, house-owner, with no profession.
In 1926, the art dealer Ambroise Vollard gave the city a bronze medal made by the sculptor Richard Guino, a student of Maillol, based on a drawing and instructions by Renoir.
Place des Prêcheurs Christening of Paul Cézanne, on 20 February 1839. Christening of Paul’s sister Marie Cézanne on 7 July 1841. Wedding of Louis-Auguste Cézanne and Élisabeth Aubert on 30 January 1844. Blessing of marriage of Paul’s second sister Rose Cézanne to Maxime Conil on 27 February 1881.
30, rue Portalis (formerly rue Saint-Louis) The poet and novelist Joachim Gasquet (1873-1921) sat for Cézanne in 1896. This portrait, one of the painter’s most famous, is in the Národní Gallery in Prague. Cézanne stayed with Gasquet in 1899 while work was being done on his apartment at 23, rue Boulegon.
23, rue Suffren
16, cours Saint-Louis. Cézanne was a pupil here from 1850 to 1852. He met Henri Gasquet, the father of the poet and art critic Joachim.
23, rue Boulegon In the autumn of 1899, after the Jas de Bouffan house was sold, Cézanne moved into this, his last home. It was here that he died of pleurisy on 23 October 1906, at 7am.
13, rue Boulegon In 1856, the bank moved to this new address. This is where Paul agreed to work after his time in Paris.
Rue des Épinaux Cézanne was a pupil here from 1844 to 1850. This is where he met Philippe Solari, who became a sculptor.
14, rue Matheron. Rose Cézanne born on 1 June 1854. Cézanne spent his youth partly here and partly at the Jas de Bouffan house. The 1860 census mentions Paul Cézanne, ”clerk”, as living at this address.
Marriage ceremony of Paul Cézanne and Hortense Fiquet on 28 April 1886.
24, rue des Cordeliers The Cézanne and Cabassol bank, with capital of 100,000 Francs, opened for business on 1 June 1848.
34, cours Sextius Blessing of marriage of Paul Cézanne and Hortense Fiquet, the day after their civil wedding, on 29 April 1886. Funeral of Paul’s father, Louis-Auguste Cézanne, on 24 October 1886.
Place de l’Université Cézanne enrolled here on 16 December 1858. He passed the first exam but did not enrol for the new academic year in 1860, his final degree year, which would have enabled him to practise as a barrister and magistrate.
34, place Martyrs de la Résistance. Christening of Rose Cézanne, on 5 June 1854. Funeral of Paul Cézanne on Wednesday 24 October 1906, at 10am. ”On Sundays we went to mass. He was dressed in his best. He sat in the Factory pew and followed the service attentively. I had seen Cézanne here before, below the big painting of the Burning Bush, in which Moses looks uncannily like him.” (Émile Bernard)