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Add Texture to GoogleThe name is displayed without accents, in keeping with a desire for simplicity and fidelity to the usage that Paul Cézanne himself advocated. Starting September 23, 2026, the Salon d’Honneur and the galleries of the Grand Palais will host an exhibition that does more than simply trace the career of the master from Aix. Titled “Cézanne and Us,” this major exhibition, which will run through January 17, 2027, explores how the artist’s vision has shaped modern art and continues to influence contemporary creation. Co-produced by the GrandPalaisRmn, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie, the exhibition presents a rigorous selection of works to demonstrate that Cézanne’s influence has never waned since the late 1880s.
A Genealogy of the Modern Eye
The scope of “Cézanne and Us” goes beyond that of a simple monographic retrospective. Co-curated by Claire Bernardi, director of the Musée de l’Orangerie, and Xavier Rey, director of the Musée national d’art moderne, with the support of Michel Gauthier and Jean-Rémi Touzet, the exhibition forges direct links between 69 works by Cézanne and 105 works by 78 other artists. In total, the official catalog lists 174 works, although public communications sometimes cite the rounded figure of nearly 180 pieces. This visual juxtaposition allows visitors to grasp the shockwaves caused by Cézanne’s explorations of structure, color, and perspective.
The exhibition design, entrusted to architect Pauline Phelouzat, showcases this dialogue across the decades. Visitors encounter historical figures of the avant-garde, from Paul Gauguin to Henri Matisse, and on to Pablo Picasso, who is known to have owed an immense debt to the man he considered his artistic father. The exhibition also incorporates more radical perspectives, such as the geometric works of Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich, as well as the tormented expressions of Max Beckmann and Marsden Hartley.
The Enduring Presence of Sainte-Victoire
Among the major loans featured in the exhibition, *Montagne Sainte-Victoire with the Large Pine* (c. 1887), on loan from The Courtauld in London, stands out as a central focal point. It illustrates this transition in which the landscape ceases to be a mere view and becomes an architecture of colored planes. Alongside it, iconic paintings such as *The Card Players* (circa 1890–1895), on loan from the Musée d’Orsay, and *Portrait of Madame Cézanne*, held by the Musée de l’Orangerie, highlight the artist’s analytical rigor.
The exhibition’s appeal lies in its ability to create a dialogue between these masterpieces and contemporary or later works. Visitors will thus be able to observe the connection between Cézanne’s decomposition of light and Piet Mondrian’s *The Flowering Apple Tree*, dated 1912 and on loan from the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Closer to our own time, Ellsworth Kelly’s *Lake II* (2002) attests to the enduring influence of Cézanne’s legacy in American abstraction. The spectrum of influences also extends to artists from diverse backgrounds, such as Joan Mitchell, Roy Lichtenstein, Bridget Riley, Georg Baselitz, Peter Doig, and Etel Adnan.
Practical Information and Access
Access to the exhibition at the Grand Palais, located at 17 Avenue du Général Eisenhower in the 8th arrondissement, is organized by scheduled time slots. The official full price is €19.00 at the museum’s ticket office. Please note that partner ticket distributors offer tickets at a price of €20.50, including booking fees. A reduced rate of €16.00 is available to young people aged 18 to 25 who are residents of the European Union, as well as to students under 30. Admission is free for those under 18, recipients of minimum social benefits, as well as people with disabilities and their companions.
For those seeking greater flexibility, a “Billet Liberté” pass offers open-ended access, valid through January 3, 2027. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with extended hours on Fridays until 10:00 p.m. The Grand Palais is closed every Monday.