Guest Post: What's Up This Month in Aix?

Erin Jordan is an American who's been lucky enough to have called southern France home since moving from Seattle with her husband and two daughters in 2010. Along the way, she turned her passion for the region into a successful business by providing personalized guided walking tours in Aix-en-Provence for English speaking visitors. Erin loves to keep up with everything going on in the area, of course, and when I asked her to share with us some of the cool stuff happening around Aix this month she generously sent this round up.  Some of these events are limited to just a weekend while others extend through the summer. "And this is really just a taste," Erin says. "I hope your readers can get out and enjoy some the wonderful opportunities that Aix offers!" To learn more about Erin's tours go to aixploringprovence.com. To reach her directly: aixploringprovence@gmail.com. And here's what she suggests...

One of my absolute favorite annual events is Salon Vivre Coté Sud, a home décor and garden fair celebrating the Mediterranean lifestyle. The exhibition will be held at Parc Jourdan, with lots of fabulous local and regional exhibitors to discover, from June 8 to 11. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this fun and well-organized event.

For outdoor music paired with a chilled glass of rosé, be sure to check out Les Musicales dans les Vignes de Provence. The program is hosted by different wine domains from May 11 through August 19, and includes live performances set in some the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the Provence.

Also not to be missed is Aix en Juin, a prelude to the famous Festival d’Aix in July, with exceptional artists, young talents and renowned world-class musicians. Aix en Juin begins on June 9 and offers everything from concerts and performances to master classes and public rehearsals, so there will be something for everyone to enjoy as a tune up to the main event next month.

The beautifully restored Hôtel de Caumont kicks off its Les soirées Jazz à Caumont concert series on June 16 with live evening performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer. The Caumont is a major art museum in Aix and if you haven’t experienced it, you must! The historic architecture of the mansion was meticulously renovated several years ago, while the sculpted gardens and intimate outdoor café provide an in-city oasis unlike any other in Aix. Currently on view is a show dedicated to Franco-Russian painter Nicolas de Staël, known for his colorful and highly abstract landscapes. With 71 paintings and 26 drawings from public and private collections, the exhibit focuses exclusively on the year he spent in Provence (1953/4). It opened in late April and runs until Sept 23, 2018. All the info is here.  

The "Picasso-Picabia" exhibit at the Musée Granet launches June 9, part of the international cultural event "Picasso Méditerranée" with 60+ museums celebrating his Mediterranean work. This particular show is the first to compare the work of Picasso to the French cubist Francis Picabia, who declared in 1922, "Picasso is the only painter I love." Through masterpieces and lesser-known works, it explores "50 years of rich, diverse and uninterrupted artistic production." The show runs until Sept 23. 

The 11th annual Flaneries D'Art Contemporain happens the weekend of June 16 and 17. It's a perfect opportunity to see some beautiful private gardens on the Cours Mirabeau and in the Mazarin neighborhood while taking in art exhibits, listening to lectures by several authors and enjoying opera, jazz and even tap dance performances. Entrance to the public is free.

And finally, the summer solstice festival on June 23, known as Le Feu de la Saint-Jean, culminates with the arrival of a flame that's come all the way from Catalonia. Spectators will be invited to write their “vows,” attach them to wood and place them in a pile near the Fontaine de la Rotonde. Around 9 pm, the flame will ignite the vows and wood into a blazing bonfire to release the magic of Saint John. Music and dancing will follow until 1 am.

Photos: (1-4) These shots from previous years show the range of activities and beautiful displays you'll see at Salon Vivre Côté Sud. Top shot © S. Spiteri.  (5, 6) Two paintings from the Nicolas de Staël in Provence exhibit at the Caumont Art Center in Aix. (7) The beautifully restored Hôtel de Caumont houses the museum. (8) The Caumont kicks off its evening jazz series on June 16 with shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the summer. (9, 10) Two from the Picasso-Picabia show at the Musee Granet: Picasso's Femme à la mantille (Fatma), 1917, and Picabia's Andalouse (Espagnole à la mantille), 1923-1926. (11) Pablo and Olga Picasso with Francis Picabia at the Château de Mai in Mougins, 1927. (12)  The Michel Pellegrino Quartet at the Château Thuerry in Flayosc, during the Music in the Vineyards festival. (13) Poster for this year's Feu de la Saint-Jean festival, celebrating the summer solstice.