SUMMER OF PICASSO

VAUVENARGUES, France – A warm September day in 1958, when Pablo Picasso proudly announced to his friends that he'd just bought Cézanne's famed Provence Mountain, the Sainte-Victoire, he wasn't talking about a canvas. The Spanish artist, who'd vowed never to return to his native country as long as Franco was in power, bought not only the imposing 17th-century Château de Vauvenargues in this tiny village, but also 1,000 hectares of surrounding pine-covered scrub and red rock that form part of the northern face of Mont Sainte-Victoire, a landscape painted more than 30 times by Cézanne, who was born in nearby Aix-en-Provence.

Pablo Picasso in April 1949, with a ceramic work made in his studio in Vallauris.This year marks the 50th anniversary of Picasso's self-imposed exile in the Vauvenargues castle, where the artist lived with his second wife, Jacqueline, from 1959 to 1961, so that he could devote himself entirely to painting. The couple had been living in the Villa California, in the lush residential heights of Cannes, since 1955. But the construction of high-rise apartments was ruining the sea view, and Picasso was bothered by tourists with binoculars, hoping to catch a glimpse of the great master. Sleepy Vauvenargues -- which, even today, has fewer than 700 residents -- seemed the ideal retreat.

To commemorate Picasso's arrival in Cézanne country, the Garnet Museum in Aix-en-Provence will on Monday open a major summer exhibition entitled "Picasso-Cézanne," with around 100 paintings, drawings, watercolors, engravings and sculptures of works by both artists as they evolved throughout their lifetimes. But the biggest buzz about the show goes beyond the museum walls. From May 27 to Sept. 27, for the first time, the Château de Vauvenargues (privately owned by Catherine Hutin, Jacqueline's daughter) is opening its doors to small groups of visitors -- only 18 people per group, plus the official guide -- for a tour of the artist's austere, sprawling retreat.

The artist's 1917 painting 'Arlequin,' part of the 'Picasso-Cézanne' exhibition in Aix-en-Provence. The exhibition and the castle tour form the core of a Picasso-themed summer extravaganza of exhibits, open-air concerts, and theater and street festivities throughout the south of France. Aix-en-Provence, the epicenter of the cultural offerings (www.picasso-aix2009.fr), hosts an exhibit of photographs of Picasso taken by his friend, Lucien Clergies, displayed in Cézanne's studio, and another 50 rarely seen photos taken by Jacqueline Picasso, hung in Aix's Vendome Pavilion. You can also rediscover Cézanne's country manor, Le Jas de Bouffant, and stroll through the vast park, lined with monumental metallic sculptures by contemporary Southern French artist, Bernard Pages’, or attend a kid-friendly mini-circus performance under a tent, where juggling and acrobatic workshops will also be held.