From April 2, 2025, to February 15, 2026, the Musée Regards de Provence presents the exhibition "Regards de Provence – The Public's Selection," the result of an innovative participatory approach. From December 2024 to February 2025, visitors were invited to vote for three artworks from a selection drawn from the Regards de Provence Collection, to choose those they wished to (re)discover. The paintings that received the most votes are brought together in this exhibition, showcasing a collaborative and inclusive dynamic.
This is a first for the Musée Regards de Provence in actively involving its public in the creation of an exhibition. This initiative promotes greater engagement from visitors, whose choices and perspectives add a new and enriching dimension to the presentation of the artworks.
To define some key themes within a selection that, by its very nature, is necessarily eclectic/heterogeneous, the exhibition is organized around a few major themes. This artistic and historical journey through part of the collection reveals landscapes of Marseille, the Mediterranean coast, and the Provençal countryside. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of styles and movements, from naturalist landscape painters to Fauvist and Expressionist colorists, while also including contemporary works. This dialogue between eras highlights the evolution of the artistic gaze on the South, from realism and emotion to modern interpretations, paying tribute to the region’s rich heritage and the Regards de Provence Collection.
The first section of the exhibition focuses on Marseille, its port life, and daily activities, through the works of major artists such as Gudin, Olive, and Marquet, who captured the many facets of the Phocean city. These paintings, ranging from nearly photographic detailed descriptions to more expressive and colorful visions, transport us to an earlier Marseille, marked by its port, its trades, and its unique light.
In parallel, the section dedicated to the Mediterranean coastline explores the fascinating relationship between the sea and the coast across the ages. Artists such as Friesz, Seyssaud, Verdilhan, and Valtat stand out, having immortalized marine landscapes in compositions ranging from Romanticism to Fauvism, offering a true ode to the ever-changing and timeless beauty of the Mediterranean.
The exhibition extends to rural and inland Provence, a captivating territory for artists like Guigou and Lombard. Inspired by Provençal light and everyday life scenes—such as laundresses, transhumance, or hunting—they painted naturalistic and Romantic works.
Finally, this fascination for the South persists in contemporary creation, where artists like Klemensiewicz, Maltête, and Ordioni question and reinvent this heritage through modern and varied approaches. All these recent works testify to a Provence that is still alive and a source of inspiration, uniting the past and present in a vibrant and timeless artistic celebration.
Practical Information and Visits to the Musée Regards de Provence
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Exhibition Admission: Full price: €8.50. Reduced rates: €8.00 – €7.00 – €6.00 – €4.50 – €3.50.
Guided tours (individuals): Entrance fee + €7 per person (outside of groups), Tuesday and Saturday at 3:00 PM by reservation.
Guided tours (groups): Entrance fee + €7 per person, available daily by reservation.
Free guided tour for individuals (first Saturday of each month at 10:30 AM), excluding entrance fee (full price), by reservation (6 to 25 people).