• Original Art: Terracotta Pots and Flowers oil on canvas painting by Paul Cézanne
• Era: 1891–1892
• Region: France

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was a French painter who is regarded as one of the greatest of the post-Impressionists. Often called the “Father of Modern Art,” his works and ideas were influential in the aesthetic development of many 20th-century artists and art movements, particularly in the creation of Cubism. Cézanne’s art was characterized by planes of colour and small brushstrokes that built up to form complex structures.

Like many great artists, Cézanne’s creations were largely misunderstood and discredited by the public for most of his life. However, he was particularly admired by young artists of the time, including Picasso and Matisse.

Reproduced here is a work from his later years, Terracotta Pots and Flowers (1891–1892), which saw Cézanne enter a new world of still life painting. This change in pace exemplified his desire for a new form of personal expression as he sought to slow down and draw focus back to the everyday.

Terracotta Pots and Flowers showcases Cézanne’s intense study of still life compositions. His works such as this one explored the connections and harmonies between everyday objects. Here he arranges a red cloth, a rum bottle with straw binding, and a light blue pitcher with potted geraniums inside the greenhouse at his father’s estate near Aix-en-Provence.

The painting can now be found at the Barnes Foundation, an educational institution based in Philadelphia. Assembled by Dr. Albert C. Barnes between 1912 and 1951, the Barnes collection is renowned as one of the finest holdings of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings in the world, including 69 Cézanne paintings, the largest Cézanne collection outside of France.

We are honoured to feature this pivotal painting from the Barnes Foundation, an educational institution based in Philadelphia, as the first release from our collaborative collection.