The Pavillon de Vendome is currently showing work by 11 artists, mainly working locally, that the town has acquired over the past 10 years.
This includes photos by Lucien Clergue and gouache studies of Cézanne’s studio by Vincent Bioules. But best of all, a series of 4 joined canvases by Jean-Jacques Surian, a Marseille-based painter, witty and colourful as always.
The series is ‘Ma Nuit Chez Lucrece’, actually painted in the Pavillon de 
Vendome during the Nuit des Musées in 2006, Aix’s year of Cézanne celebrations.
Lucrece refers to the Duc de Vendome’s mistress, also called La Belle du Canet, for her beauty and her husband’s title Seigneur du Canet. The king had made the Duc de Vendome a cardinal to keep him out of trouble, but the affair continued and he built the Pavillon, with its walled garden, away from town and prying eyes.
So the artist includes Cézanne related images – the artist, Sainte-Victoire – and symbols of love – putti, raunchy ladies, hearts, a bed. He then moves on to tragedy with scenes from a real-life murder at the Bar du Telephone at Le Canet, and in the corner, surveying the scene, a cardinal. Each of the four canvases is has an ace from a card in a poker game…maybe reflecting high stakes?
Fascinating the way he has included the parquet floor of the actual room in the picture and in other places added detail from the real wall-paper!
A label points out that, when the artist stopped for a break, leaving his brushes and paint, members of the public made their contributions, thinking it was a free-for-all! Following an initial sense of humour failure, the artist decided to leave some of their unexpected additions.
It’s great fun.
While there, you can also see the newly restored ‘Quatre Saisons’ paintings that adorned Belle du Canet’s bedroom. I photographed the most appropriate for us right now – l’Hiver.
’10 Ans d’Acquisitions et de Donations’ is on until 5th March. Closed Tuesdays. 10-12:30 and 13:30 to 17:00. 3.50€.
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