FABIENNE VERDIER IN THE LAND OF CÉZANNE

The Musée Granet presents a retrospective of works by Fabienne Verdier, for the first time in a French museum.

Fabienne Verdier, a major figure in contemporary art, was invited by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence to participate in the Académie’s July 2017 chamber music residency at the Baroque Chapelle de la Visitation, in the heart of Aix. There, she set up a laboratory workshop where she explored new areas of play between sound and painting. This research is visible in Sound Traces, an installation displayed at the Cité du Livre.

She came to know the Aix region in 2004 through the event “Aix-en-Provence, l’Été chinois” (“Aix-en-Provence: The Chinese Summer”). In 2017, one of her works was on display at the Musée Granet for the “Passion de l’art” (“Passion of Art”) exhibit. During that time, the artist was able to explore the sites of Cézanne on Sainte-Victoire Mountain; travel throughout the territory; and immerse herself in the landscapes.

Between May and October 2018, the Musée Granet invited her to experience the Aix region. She left her studio and went outside to paint, draw, walk and climb, in direct contact with the often harsh elements of nature (i.e., the wind, the cold, the rain and the light), but also with the softer attributes of the land, which she learned to tame and call her own. During this nomadic workshop in the Aix region, Fabienne Verdier painted while outdoors and launched a new phase in her work, which is apparent in her sketches, preparatory studies and large paintings.

Fabienne Verdier in the Land of Cézanne: from June 21 to October 13 in Aix-en-Provence (Musée Granet, Pavillon Vendôme, Cité du Livre)