Cézanne takes over Paris: 174 works at the Grand Palais for the giant of modern art

Paris has opened its doors to one of the greatest names in modern painting: the Grand Palais has launched the exhibition “Cézanne et nous” (“Cézanne and Us”), a co-production of the Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie and Centre Pompidou, bringing to the French capital the legacy of the “master of Aix.”

As Le Monde writes, the exhibition is not simply a tribute to Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), but a portrait of his extraordinary influence on the generations that followed. Spread across two floors of the Grand Palais, it gathers 174 works: 69 by Cézanne himself, while 105 others belong to 78 artists who called him their “master.” His works come mainly from French collections, but also from prestigious institutions around the world: “The Large Bathers” (1894–1905) arrived from London’s National Gallery, while other works were lent by the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA), the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, the Phillips Collection in Washington, Swiss museums and the Goulandris collection.

The journey is chronological. The ground floor covers the end of the 19th century through the interwar period: Gauguin and his circle, Bonnard and the Nabis, the Fauves with Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck, the cubists Braque, Picasso, Gris and Léger, then Delaunay, Mondrian and Malevich. The upper floor continues with artists through to today’s generations, showing that Cézanne’s shadow extends into our own time.

The influence of the “master of Aix” on younger generations passed, according to Le Monde, through the art dealer Ambroise Vollard and the great posthumous retrospective at the 1907 Salon d’Automne — the moment that sealed his transition from misunderstood painter to foundational figure of modern art.

The “Cézanne et nous” exhibition runs through January 17, 2027. Entry is from Place Jean-Perrin, Paris 8e; hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00–19:30, and until 22:00 on Fridays. Tickets cost 16–19 euros.