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Charles-Camoin-Saint-Tropez-voilier-blanc-dans-la-baie-des-Canoubiers-1939; Collection particuliere Copyright: Jean-Louis Losi, ADAGP Paris 2016

If you love Provence, you will love this exhibition.

Charles Camoin was born in Marseille and spent his later years living in Saint-Tropez and painting all along the Mediterranean coast. The Musée Granet’s exhibition, ‘Camoin dans sa Lumiere’, has wonderful examples of his works showing Marseille, Cassis and Saint-Tropez.

We start with him at art school in Paris where he made life-long friends of fellow-artists Matisse,  Manguin and Marchand, all enjoying painting together in the capital.  Then the young Camoin was sent to Aix on military service and met

Still recognisable – this viaduct, which we pass under on the A8 – was painted by Camoin in 1906; it was also included in Cézanne’s landscapes.

the elderly Paul Cézanne.  Far from being cold and unfriendly, Cézanne took Camoin under his wing and the two painted together.

Much value was added to our preview yesterday by the Musee Granet’s Curator-in-Chief Bruno Ely and also by the explanations of Camoin’s grand-daughter Claudine Grammont.  She said that Charles’ relationship with Cézanne was ‘fondatrice’: the young painter, just 21, was instinctively sensual and admired and was influenced by the older artist’s intellectual rigour.

Camoin was certainly sensual as we learned in the next room with his portraits of prostitutes. His work was influenced by the vivid colours of the Fauves but as Mme Grammont explained, his was softer and more romantic in tone.  The exhibition takes us through his relationship with painter Emilie Charmy and his devastation on its break-up…and his winter in Tangiers with Matisse which restored his spirits.

The war years saw Camoin on active service, firstly as a stretcher-bearer and then painting and erecting camouflage.

His later years were thankfully calm and sunny, with a happy marriage and a

Charles-Camoin-Lola-sur-le-balcon-1920.Collection particuliere. Copyright Archives Camoin, ADAGP, Paris 2016

convivial life with fellow-artists in Provence.

This exhibition is a delight from start to finish, and is a wonderful experience to walk through the life of this local artist.  Pictures have come from near and far, mainly from private collections, so it is worth taking this opportunity to see them.

The exhibition begins tomorrow, 11th June and is on at the Musee Granet until 2nd October.  Closed Mondays.  The opening weekend has special ‘animations’…here is the link for this info: https://aixcentric.com/2016/06/07/an-artistic-weekend-ahead/