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The painter, was born to English parents in Paris, hasn’t been the subject of a retrospective since 2002. Forty per cent of this show includes paintings from private collections not seen in public before.

Sisley excelled at painting landscapes and capturing a sense of place. He especially loved working in the countryside around Paris, where he often painted with fellow-Impressionists such as Monet, Renoir and Pissarro.  He liked to paint the same view at different times of the year and excelled at snow-scenes.

A follower of the work of Constable, Sisley loved to work on skies.  MaryAnne Stevens, exhibition curator explains: ‘In all his landscapes, the sky reigned supreme: he was the painter of skies, the artist who comprehended their role in shaping the structure of a scene, determining its atmosphere and establishing its distinct poetry’.

The exhibition caters for English speakers as explanatory panels in all rooms are also in English, plus there is an English leaflet (1€).  Inside the exhibition there is a film on the artist.

Unlike his contemporaries, he didn’t paint in Provence, but recorded scenes from Hampton Court after a visit there, and painted many studies of his final town Moret-sur-Loing.

So, sixty landscapes.  Some include figures but they are insignificant and coloured to almost fade into their backgrounds.  His subtle treatments, however, of the wind in the trees, the reflections in water, the shadows in the snow and above all the ever-varying skies will delight lovers of landscapes.

Until 15th October. Open daily, 10-19:00. Late night Friday to 21:30.

14 Euros.  Don’t miss the  elegant café and wonderfully restored gardens!

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Hôtel de Caumont
3, rue Joseph Cabassol
13100 Aix-en-Provence
Tél : 04 42 20 70 01