If you thought that everything’s been said about Cezanne, think again. Running until 12th March 2023, Cezanne staged at Tate Modern is the exhibition of the season. ‘With an apple, I will astonish Paris’, Cezanne once said. With this great quote, the exhibition opens to explore the life and oeuvre of one of the most significant artists of all time.

Leaving his native Aix-en-Provence for the French capital in his 20s, Cezanne’s still lifes, landscapes and paintings of bathers were to inspire generations of artists to bring innovations and change history forever.

Famously referred to as the “greatest of us all” by Claude Monet, Cezanne remains a pivotal figure in modern painting. Created amid a rapidly accelerating world, his works focus on the local and the everyday, concentrating on the artist’s own personal experiences to make sense of the chaos and uncertainty of modern life.

The EY Exhibition: Cezanne brings together over 80 carefully selected works from collections in Europe, Asia, North and South America, giving UK audiences their first opportunity in over 25 years to explore the breadth of Cezanne’s career. Featuring key examples of his iconic still life paintings, Provençale landscapes, portraits and bather scenes, the exhibition includes over 20 works never seen in the UK before such as The Basket of Apples c.1893 (The Art Institute of Chicago), Mont Sainte-Victoire 1902-06 (Philadelphia Museum of Art) and Still Life with Milk Pot, Melon, and Sugar Bowl 1900-06 (private collection). New research into the colours, compositions and techniques used in these works will reveal how the artist’s bold approach challenged conventions and in ways that continue to influence painters working today.

Image: Paul Cezanne, Still Life with Fruit Dish, 1879–80