Pablo's Place

VAUVENARGUES -- Of all the great artists who have called Provence home over the years, perhaps the most famous is a non-Frenchman - Pablo Picasso. Pablo, who shunned his native Spain when Franco came to power, was one of those rare artists who actually made money while he was still alive, and he seemed like he wasn't shy about spending it. He plunked down some coin late in life to buy an old chateau in the hills above Aix, in a village called Vauvenargues. Reportedly he bought it for the spectacular views of Sainte Victoire which so inspired one his early painter heroes, Cezanne, himself a legend in these parts.

"I just bought Sainte Victore," he bragged to his friends when he bought the 13 century fixer-upper. Well, not quite but he got a nice piece of it. Needless to say his wife of the day, Jacqueline - 40 years his junior (Pablo was nothing if not a playah) - must have been suitably impressed after she got over the shock of the cost of window treatments.

He actually only lived there for two years before health issues forced him to retreat back to the coast near Cannes to spend his final days. But he'll spend eternity there now, planted right outside the front entrance beneath a cool looking statue (where he was later joined by Jacqueline many years after she got finished spending his money).

Only recently has the house, which his step-daughter still uses from time to time as her personal residence (pourquoi pas?), been open to the public. It's a vintage French chateau, albeit a little short on accoutrements and ostentatious decorations that typify other such dwellings. Apparently, Pablo got a pretty good deal on it because it was unfurnished and he didn't have a lot of time to fully pimp it out. But it does offer some neat glimpses into the life of the genius, with hundreds of sketches and early stage works, plus his private living quarters and studio. And the revenue from the 15 euro tours probably keep Pablo's kids and grandchildren comfortable in their lifestyles

Ah, but desole - no cameras allowed. So you'll have to be satisfied by the shot from a distance, from the village center, which by the way, has a nice little cafe to enjoy a pastis and wonder if PP did the same back in the day.