Are the Cézanne landscapes on the Sainte-Victoire threatened by a real estate project?

But will the views from this long-forgotten plot of land southwest of Aix-en-Provence, where the Impressionist artist regularly set up his easel, soon be nothing more than a memory, visible only in his paintings? This is what several groups fear, for whom a real estate project could obstruct the view of these famous landscapes, immortalized by the painter born and died in Aix (1839-1906).

Environmental, architectural and Cézanne heritage associations are up in arms against urban development being carried out by the municipality.

By 2040, 3.600 housing units (25% of which will be social housing), 6.000 square metres of shops and services, and 70.000 square metres of offices are to be built on this 40-hectare site, nestled between two motorways and a 30-minute walk from the city centre.

Ultimately, up to 12.000 residents are expected to live on this plot, whose construction, according to opponents, would considerably obstruct the view, which remains relatively clear despite a high-voltage line and a few distant dwellings, blending into the vegetation.

"Destroying Cézanne's motifs is shocking: they are a very important heritage site for Aix-en-Provence, which attracts many tourists," protests Didier Bonfort of the association "Safeguarding Cézanne's Landscapes."

According to him, 52 paintings were created by the Provençal painter from this vantage point. The collective is also outraged by "the denial of this place," excluded from the exhibition-event dedicated to the "master of Aix" and his favorite sites, by the town hall, which would have gladly done without this controversy just weeks before the inauguration of its "Cezanne year," whose posters cover the city.

Its right-wing mayor, Sophie Joissains (UDI), had requested "that there be no expropriation and the total protection of private property; the total protection of wooded areas and the heritage enhancement of all elements of heritage value, including Cézanne sites," Isabelle Loriant-Guyot, the city's communications manager, explained to AFP.

"These points have been respected. The municipality has constantly sought to reconcile Cezanne's legacy with the city's necessary expansion," she argues.

"Obsolete project"

To justify its project, the city relied on the expertise of Denis Coutagne, an art historian and internationally renowned Cezanne specialist, who was tasked with identifying the locations and perspectives used by the painter in order to preserve them. "These recommendations were respected in every respect," the municipality assures.

According to the expert, longtime director of the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence, which houses 10 of the artist's works, "for the most part, the Cézanne sites of La Constance (named after this district, editor's note) will not be in danger but will finally be highlighted." On the contrary, the project "will seek to make these sites accessible" currently forgotten by the public because "they are located along the highway or on private land."

Regretting a "damaging controversy", he believes "that no city in the world does as much to promote a painter of his own".

In addition to the cultural aspect, several groups are warning of the potential environmental damage caused by the project, which has been under consideration since 1997 and received approval in March from the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture, along with numerous exemptions to the ban on the destruction of "protected animal and plant species" (wild tulip, slow worm, southern tree frog, house martin, tawny owl, etc.).

"Urbanization on a wetland that blocks water flow poses a problem: the site is certainly left in its natural state today, but this voluntary state is necessary," says Stéphane Salord, co-president of the Arc fleuve vivant association.

"It's a very outdated project, the likes of which we don't do anymore. Artificializing 40 hectares no longer makes sense today," says Pascal Clément of the architects' association "Devenir," who denounces it as a "land opportunity."