Cézanne used many studios in and around Aix but he finally had a house built for the purpose in 1902 at what is now 9 av Paul-Cézanne, overlooking Aix from the north. It was here that he painted the Grandes Baigneuses , the Jardinier Vallier and some of his greatest still lifes. The Atelier Cézanne (July & Aug daily 10am-noon & 2.30-6pm; rest of year 10am-noon & 2-5pm; €3.81; bus #1 or #21, stop "P. Cézanne") is exactly as it was at the time of his death in 1906; coat, hat, wineglass and easel, the objects he liked to paint, his pipe, a few letters and drawings... everything save the pictures he was working on.
Collective cultural life is the basis of the Cité du Livre in the old matchmaking factory at 8-10 rue des Allumettes, a short way southwest from the tourist office (Tues-Fri noon-6pm, Sat 10am-noon & 1-6pm; free). Entered by doorways in the form of giant books leaning together as if on a shelf, it includes libraries, a cinema, theatre space, a videothèque d'art lyrique (where you can watch just about any French opera
performance) and all manner of exhibitions.
For a totally different experience, both visually and conceptually, you can escape the sometimes cloying grandeur of seventeenth-century Aix by visiting the Fondation Vasarely on avenue Marcel-Pagnol in Jas-de-Bouffan, 4km west of the city centre (mid-Jan to mid-March Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-6pm; mid-March to Oct Mon-Fri 10am-1pm & 2-7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-7pm; €5.34; bus #12, stop "V. Vasarely"). There are innumerable sliding showcases, showing images related to all the themes of architect/artist Vasarely's work, including his "plastic alphabet" and designs for apartment buildings. But the seven high hexagonal spaces on the ground floor, each hung with six huge colour-wonder dimension-doubling designs, is where you'll get the immediate impact of this extraordinary man's work.
And finally, 3km north of the city, the Oppidum d'Entremont (Wed-Sun 10am-noon & 2-6pm; free; take bus #20 from Cours Sextius) is the excavated site of the Gallic settlement which preceded the foundation of the town, predating the Roman conquest by more than 200 years. You'll find the remains of a fortified enclosure, spectacularly sited, as well as excavations of the residential and commercial quarters of the town.
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