THE MORNING LIST
Wander between mansions and contemporary audacity, discover Cézanne’s studio, fill up on museums, from Klein to Vasarely… Here are five ways to love the Provençal city.
Neoclassical pomp and contemporary touches
The interlacing of the alleys of the old town; the straightness of the Cours Mirabeau once offered to the carriages of the bourgeois; the baroque fountains and mansions of the Mazarin district wanted in the 17th centurye century by the archbishop, brother of the cardinal. Along the streets, Arthur Carlier, tour guide for the Secrets d’ici tourist company, recounts the elegant decor that marquises and barons commissioned from architects, including that of King Louis XIV.
The promenade leads beyond the fountain of the Rotonde, towards some contemporary audacity, the Grand Théâtre de Provence by Vittorio Gregotti, all in curves and terraces, the Black Pavilion by Rudy Ricciotti, which offers its concrete frame and the transparency of the glass for the dancers of the Preljocaj ballet, or metal origami by Kengo Kuma for the Darius Milhaud music conservatory.
Cézanne with application (or the nose in the wind)
Two of the city’s most famous children, Zola and Cézanne, struck up a friendship at the Mignet College, formerly Bourbon. This is one of the stages of the “In the footsteps of Cézanne” circuit offered by the tourist office. A recent application to download on smartphones takes you from the painter’s birthplace to his drawing school, from the cathedral where his funeral took place to his favorite brasserie, and displays a virtual guide and works in augmented reality.
But the ride without the screen, armed witha simple leaflet and nose to the wind, is even more pleasant. It ends on the Lauves hill, in the park and the house that served as his studio. Here, a young flesh-and-blood lecturer talks about the artist and those close to her, brings the objects of her still lifes back to life, explains her technique and material tips for composing her large canvases.
Talented artisans
No flashy shop window but a friendly mess. On the shelves, pitchers, plates, vases, dishes with clean lines and designs, which evoke Picasso. Vincent, Monique and Romain Buffile, father, mother and son, perpetuate the art of ceramics in this workshop founded in 1945 by Vincent’s parents. They create pieces that are as elegant as they are unique, put their talent at the service of renowned artists, designers and chefs, but speak modestly of their know-how.
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