‘I will astonish Paris with an apple!’, Cezanne once claimed. Leaving his native Aix-en-Provence for the French capital in his twenties, this is precisely what he did. Cezanne’s still lifes, landscapes and paintings of bathers were to give licence to generations of artists to break the rule book. The history of painting was never to be the same again.

Evoking the sensory richness and ambitions of the beloved French painter’s work, this book presents a multifaceted exploration of Cezanne’s art, career and legacy, through the varied perspectives of art historians, conservation scientists and a host of renowned contemporary artists. Rather than reading Cezanne in hindsight, it seeks to understand the artist in his own context: as an ambitious young painter from the provinces eager to make it in metropolitan Paris. Torn between seeking official recognition and joining rebellious impressionism before relentlessly pursuing his own unique language, Cezanne strived to be modern while remaining deeply sceptical about the world he lived in.

Showcasing a selection of iconic works and highlighting the artist’s key themes, this publication is a celebration of Cezanne and his pivotal role in the development of modern art. Includes contributions from Etel Adnan, Phyllida Barlow, Paul Chan, Julia Fish, Ellen Gallagher, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, Rodney McMillian, Laura Owens, and Luc Tuymans.