The veteran French actress Andréa Ferréol will be guest of honour when a new statue is unveiled in June 2006 to celebrate the centenary of the death of Aix-en Provence’s most famous citizen, artist Paul Cézanne.

Andréa has appeared in more than 150 French films but is probably best known in the UK for her role in one of the episodes of the popular French detective series, Maigret.

After seeing a model of the two metre bronze statue of Cézanne in the garden of the Dutch sculptor, Gabriel Sterk, Andréa succeeded in raising about £100,000 to create the real thing, with the help of the French football captain, Zinedine Zidane and actors John Malkovich and Omar Sharif.

Aix has about thirty locations linked to Cézanne, including his studio left as it was when he died. The Musée Granet, closed for the best part of ten years, will reopen in June with an exhibition of more than eighty of Cézanne’s work in oils. Sadly for Aix, almost all of them are owned and usually located elsewhere.

We will be keeping you informed of events and exhibitions in France for the centenary celebrations.