Pablo Picasso moved to Provence, France in 1959 while he was in his 70s. Sure, he moved there in part to escape life in the public eye in Cannes (Cannes vacation rentals), but most of all, he wanted to be closer to Ste. Victoire, a mountain near Aix-en-Provence that was the subject of more than 40 paintings by Paul Cezanne. Picasso described Cezanne as his “one and only master.”
Both Picasso and Cezanne shared a fascination with shifting perspectives. Cezanne often painted the same subject but from different angles and lights. Picasso played with perspective in his cubist works. The connection is examined at great depth at the Picasso-Cezanne show at the Musee Granet in Aix-en-Provence.
Picasso moved into the 13th-century Château de vauvenargues at the base of the mountain with Jacqueline Roque, his lover-turned-wife until 1961. The estate has been off limits to the public ever since. Now, curious fans can finally get a peek inside until September 27th. Picasso’s brushes and paints lie around the studio. Outside, in the yard, the couple’s graves sit side-by-side. Picasso’s tombstone is topped with his 1933 sculpture, Woman With a Vase. Advance ticket reservations are sold out but people may purchase same-day tickets each morning starting at 8:30AM at the Hotel de Valori in Aix-en-Provence.
Find any last minute France vacation rentals or France holiday homes nearby so that you may enjoy Picasso’s Château as well as the beautiful region.
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