L’art pour l’art, a phrase that expresses the philosophy that ’true’ art is utterly independent of any and all social values. Yeah …a bit like saying religion is all about compassion!!! Art is like any other social media…and sooo not ‘independent’…as demonstrated by the art of the middle ages being all about religion..why…because who was paying? OK that aside…I am not going to be political…(Gag!!!!..) What.  ..ever!!!

Welcome to ART in the World of the Total Pleb!!!

Firstly Foundation Vasarely. Just on the outskirts of Aix is a museum dedicated to the works of Victor Vasarely, the creator of Op Art. I judge whether or not a place is well curated by how much I learn and here I learned heaps – about the ‘plastic alphabet’ he created, how his art is related to mathematics and that he created the Renault logo. Fabulous museum.

Next, Hôtel de Caumont, Centre D’Art where we saw an exhibition by Max Angst -sorry Ernst- ummm. The City Card covered this, and the gardens were exceptional. The little movie about Cézanne was brilliant and a great introduction to our visit to L’Atelier de Cézanne the following day. 

Immediately across the road from the museum is the Book in Bar an English bookshop with a cafe inside. It was delightful.

The Office de Tourism in Aix is impressive and the staff exceptional. We had bought a 48-hour City Pass online and we were wondering about getting to Cézanne’s studio. The fellow’s advice was terrific. Firstly, we had to book a slot, as only twenty people are admitted at a time. Then we asked about parking. We had driven past and knew it was on a steep hill with no parking for miles. He advised us where to park and which bus to catch as that would be covered by the City Card too. We arrived right on ten and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Next, we caught the bus into the city and went to the Musée Granet. Yet again a wonderful museum- at both locations.

So being completely ‘museumed-out’ we headed for lunch and stumbled across Le Maison Française which looked a bit swish, but we decided after all that art we deserved it. There were three tables occupied when we entered. It was about 2pm. The maître d’ approached and we asked for a table for two. Her response? ‘I will check with the chef.’ It took me by surprise. The place was virtually empty. Obviously, the food gods were smiling, and we could be accommodated. I was still a bit mystified. Regardless the food was amazing and the menu du jour was very reasonable. We left sated on all counts. 

Our week in Cabriès was almost up. We decided to make Friday a quiet day – packing, tidying up, getting petrol and we needed milk so naturally we dropped into what may well be one of the largest supermarkets on the planet. It took an eon to even find the milk and bread…I just wanted a half loaf of regular bread. There was a massive boulangerie however what I wanted was ‘processed’ bread. I needed it to last more than 24 hours. Fortunately, I saw a woman with a loaf in her arms and she was able to direct me to the general area. I found it. An hour later we were released from the grasp of the megamarket. It was reassuring to return to the conviviality of Céline, Stéphane and their family on their property in the quiet of Domaine du Lac Bleu. It had been a wonderful week.

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