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Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Experiencing the light-filled landscapes of Provence that inspired Cézanne's works
It is quite astonishing to realise that a painting few people wanted to buy a little over a century ago is now worth a quarter of a billion dollars. Paul Cézanne's The Card Players became the most expensive piece of art in the world in 2011 when it was bought by the Qatar royal family for $250m. It has since been overtaken by two other masterpieces, Willem de Kooning's Interchange for $300m in 2015 and Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi for $450m in 2017. But that hardly diminishes the magnitude of what The Card Players achieved — a painting from 1890-'92 of two of Cézanne's humble estate workers playing at a table in a dark room. Cézanne, along with other contemporary impressionist and post-impressionist artists like Vincent Van Gogh, was not appreciated in his time. But unlike the Dutch genius, Cézanne did not die in poverty. His father, Louis-Auguste, was a successful banker who gave his son an allowance enabling him to follow his dream of becoming a painter. And he and his two sisters, Marie and Rose, inherited the family estate, Jas de Bouffan. But despite producing countless paintings of the surrounding countryside, he was never accepted in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence which refused to exhibit his work. Now a further ignominy has been discovered. Jas de Bouffan, where he lived for 40 years, is currently being restored for its first ever public opening which will coincide with a landmark exhibition of his work, Cézanne at Jas de Bouffan, from June 28 to October 12. Cézanne Paul (1839-1906). États-Unis, Chicago (IL), The Art Institute of Chicago. 1942.457. During the renovation, workers discovered an unknown painting on an inside wall of the house — under a layer of white paint. Someone who owned the beautiful period home after Cézanne's time was so unimpressed by the fresco they simply painted over it. Initial signs suggest it is a scene of boats on a river and it is now being restored. The grand salon of the house was once covered in Cézanne's frescos. But when the artist started to become recognised years after his death the paintings on plaster were cut from the walls, put in frames and sold around the world. We are on a tour of the estate and work is still busily going on for the grand opening. Piles of calade, large pebbles native to Provence, are ready for cobblestone-style groundwork, ditches are dug for power cables, and a large reservoir, which looks like a swimming pool, is to be cleaned. A beautiful alley of trees is much like it appeared in Cézanne's The Allée of Chestmut Trees at the Jas de Bouffan. The estate, once in the countryside, is now surrounded by urban development. Mont Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne's beloved mountain which he painted no fewer than 77 times, and which was once clearly visible from the property, is now hidden from view. We are lucky to be the first recent visitors to the estate — it used to be by appointment only — which was taken over by the local authority in 1994. From this summer, admirers of the artist will be able to walk in his footsteps and stand where he painted many of his works in an upstairs studio his father built for him, lit by a large skylight. It was here, surrounded by 15 hectares of vineyards and orchards, that he produced his still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, many of which will feature in the exhibition in the local Musée Granet. The Card Players was one of a series of five painted here in the 1890s. During the renovation of Jas de Bouffan, workers discovered an unknown painting on an inside wall of the house — under a layer of white paint. Someone who owned the beautiful period home after Cézanne's time was so unimpressed by the fresco they simply painted over it. Initial signs suggest it is a scene of boats on a river and it is now being restored. The ground floor and an upstairs room are being prepared for the opening but others will not be finished until next year. Visitors will also be able to visit the studio he built, the 'Atelier des Lauves', after being forced to sell Jas de Bouffan in 1899 to give his sisters their share of their father's inheritance. The artist produced his final paintings here from 1902 to his death in 1906, working daily in a room flooded with light. The studio on Lauves Hill overlooking Aix is being restored and will contain many of his possessions, a permanent legacy of Cézanne 2025. Cézanne adored the light of Provence and once said: 'When you're born there, it's hopeless, nothing else is good enough.' We experience that light ourselves when we tour the abandoned Bibémus quarries where the painter did countless landscapes with the giant sandstone rocks and Mont Sainte-Victoire in the background. A new public trail will be opened leading to the quarries to the east of the city. Replicas of his work are embedded in places he loved, particularly on the Terrain des Peintres, a terrace near his studio where there are nine copies on enamalled plates. You can follow his development through the decades, from his early impressionist paintings to the cubism and abstraction of his latter days, a development that inspired Picasso to call him 'the father of us all'. Visitors will also be able to visit the studio he built, the 'Atelier des Lauves', after being forced to sell Jas de Bouffan in 1899 to give his sisters their share of their father's inheritance. Art and Provence are eternally linked and visitors seeking more cultural enlightenment should make their way to the amazing Chateau La Coste, owned by Irish hotelier and developer Paddy McKillen. It's a working biodynamic vineyard featuring huge art installations by the likes of Damien Hirst and Irish artist Sean Scully, and by famed architects like Tadao Ando from Japan and Brazil's Oscar Niemeyer. Bono's pal, Guggi, features with a giant bronze chalice along with works by Tracey Emin, Yoko Ono, REM's Michael Stipe and many more. We walk through long rows of grapes to reach Bob Dylan's Rail Car, a real American box car set on rail tracks. Once used to transport paper rolls by an Oregon lumber company, its cover has been replaced by a maze of sculptured iron. Dylan said the sight and sound of freight trains was part of his childhood. A short time later we bump into Paddy McKillen's sister Maire, who tells us it was she who originally found the vineyard for her brother in 2002. The Belfast-born chef had settled in Aix because of the quality and range of its foods and herbs and Paddy fell in love with the area while visiting. He asked her to find him a farm. Writer Jim Gallagher with a statue of Paul Cezanna. 'I knew he was serious because he's a real visionary,' says Maire, who retains her soft Belfast accent after decades in France. 'Once I found it, he said, 'this place is too beautiful to keep for ourselves'. 'He loves art and the artistic process and he began to invite people down, people he knew or people whose work he liked like architect Richard Rogers. 'They came because of their love of Provence — and Provence is why we are still here.' Rogers went on to design a spectacular 120m long gallery on a hillside overlooking the chateau and surrounding landscape. Beginning with just a cafe, the estate now has a five-star hotel, a four-star hotel, six restaurants, and the vineyard produces up to 900,000 bottles of wine a year, mostly rosé. The final stop on our Cézanne-inspired art tour is the Gallifet Art Centre in Aix, which specialises in the work of young up-and-coming artists. Nicolas Mazet opened the gallery in his 19th- century home in 2010 and says they show the work of young artists inspired by Cézanne's never-give-up attitude. Cézanne 2025 is a fitting tribute to a painter whose work was forward-looking yet rooted in tradition. The reopening of his house and studio simply give us two more excuses to visit the fabled region and explore the enduring beauty of luminous Aix-en-Provence. Jim was a guest of Aix-en-Provence tourism. Provencal landscape, France, showing Mont Ste Victoire, from the same spot in Aix-en-Provence where Cezanne painted the same landscape as it was in the 19th century. ESCAPE NOTES For more information on the Cézanne celebrations see For more information on visiting Aix and Provence see and Where to stay If you're staying in Aix, a comfortable base is the four-star Hotel Aquabella which has a large outdoor pool, a smaller inside pool and spa with sauna and steam rooms. Its L'Orangerie restaurant serves up a lovely prawn linguine which ticks all my boxes. Where to eat In the city centre, a good place to eat and watch the world go by is the lively terrace of Le Mirabeau, which has very friendly staff. For dinner, the rooftop terrace of La Fromagerie du Passage specialises in cheese dishes. If you want to spoil yourself, try lunch in the beautiful L'Atelier des Lodges, which has a terrace with a spectacular view of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Or try the luxurious Villa Gallici, a five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel based in an 18th-century mansion which won a recent Cézanne menu competition to reinterpret Provencal cuisine. La Taula, its gourmet restaurant, is a haven of style and tranquility overlooking one of the hotel's pools. Artistic inspiration The sculpture park and organic winery at Chateau La Coste is open seven days a week from 10am – 7pm. The walking trail through the 600-acre park is €15. Six restaurants have various opening times. Gallifet Art centre is currently open from noon to 6pm, Wednesday to Saturday, price €6. From June 1, it is open every day except Monday during the summer months. There is also a restaurant, shop and apartment to rent.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
16th-century signet ring — engraved with symbols — found in Poland monument rubble
Archaeologists in Poland recently uncovered a centuries-old ring with enigmatic engravings. The discovery occurred at Wawel Royal Castle, an art museum and one-time residence of Polish kings, located in the heart of Krakow. The museum describes itself as 'the most historically and culturally important site in Poland.' The finding took place during renovations to a statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko — an 18th century Polish statesman renowned for his role in a national uprising and the American Revolution — on the castle grounds, according to a news release from the museum. While examining rubble beneath the statue's plinth, an archaeologist stumbled upon a brass signet ring. The glistening piece of jewelry was dated to the 15th or 16th centuries, making it at least 400 years old. Engraved on its oblong, flat surface is an unidentified symbol, which resembles two asterisk marks. It could be the mark of a craftsman on a Germanic heraldic shield, museum officials said. Beneath the symbol, the letters 'IC' — potentially the owner's initials — are visible. Centuries ago, signet rings were worn by numerous individuals, including civic officials, merchants and aristocrats, according to The Art Institute of Chicago. When pressed into hot wax, they could be used to produce a unique seal, meant to indicate the identity of the owner. Further research will be conducted on the ring to learn more about its provenance. Google Translate was used to translate a release from Wawel Royal Castle.
Chicago Tribune
03-03-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Art Institute will return Buddha sculpture to Nepal
The Art Institute of Chicago announced Monday it would return a 12th century Nepali sculpture of the Buddha to Nepal. The museum is collaborating with the government of Nepal for the return of the piece, titled 'Buddha Sheltered by the Serpent King Muchalinda,' which had been part of its collection. 'This return reflects the importance of provenance research, as well as the Art Institute's proactive outreach and collaboration with countries and communities,' said the Art Institute's Jacques Schuhmacher in a statement. 'We are grateful to work in partnership with our colleagues from Nepal to return this object to its place of origin, and to collaborate and learn from each other into the future.' The museum describes the sculpture as depicting a story of divine intervention: During a storm, 'the serpent king Muchalinda rose to form a protective cave around the Buddha, permitting him to remain in deep meditation.' The sculpture had been on regular display since 1997. The museum said Monday that it had 'discovered new details about the sculpture's history and shared this information with the Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C. Working together, the Art Institute and the Government of Nepal agreed the sculpture had been stolen from Guita Bahi in the Kathmandu Valley and collectively decided on its return to Nepal.' Schuhmacher was appointed last summer as executive director of Provenance Research, a team created at the museum in 2020 to work with curators, researchers and museum leaders to look into the ownership history of its artwork. Provenance research has become an increasingly important topic for museums to determine the backgrounds of items in their collections and how they were acquired. Originally Published:
