Sean Scully Cezanne et nous

An unprecedented exhibition dedicated to Paul Cezanne (1839–1906) and his artistic legacy. Nearly 180 artworks show how his work has been discovered, interpreted, and transformed, from the late 19th century to the present day.

Starting with Cezanne, the triumph of modern art and that of formalism—or the reduction of painting to its fundamental compositional elements—has continually been reworked and transcended. [...] From lyrical abstraction and geometric abstraction, to 'hard-edge' painting, Cezanne remains a constant point of reference: sometimes claimed, sometimes reinterpreted, always debated. In the age of post-modernism, his status as the “father of modern art” continues to be questioned.

Cezanne et nous is the first exhibition to simultaneously tell this dual story: that of his fundamental influence and, in contrast, the story of the artists who claimed him. The exhibition reveals a complex and multifaceted history shaped by appropriation, artistic lineage, and aesthetic tensions. It invites you to view Cezanne through the successive perspectives he has inspired, culminating in our own contemporary gaze.