Nearly 60 masterpieces of French painting are currently on display at the Caumont Art Centre in Aix-en-Provence through March 22, 2026, featuring works by renowned artists including Bazille, Marie Bracquemond, Maximilien Luce, and Picasso. The exhibition, titled "A Collector's Perspective: Masterpieces from the Oscar Ghez Collection," showcases the visionary collecting spirit of Oscar Ghez through carefully curated works that span different periods of French art.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is Gustave Caillebotte's "The Europe Bridge" (1876), which perfectly embodies the essence of Ghez's collecting philosophy. The painting captures a sense of movement within an enigmatic and silent tension, supported by a rigorously structured architectural framework. This iconic work demonstrates everything that made Caillebotte's artistic vision so compelling and forward-thinking.
According to Emmanuelle Lussiez, Director of Exhibitions at Culturespaces, the painting is representative of the collection's spirit because it showcases Ghez's extraordinary foresight as a collector. "Oscar Ghez acquired this Caillebotte in 1957, at a time when Caillebotte was absolutely unknown," Lussiez explained. "He was known then as a great collector and patron, but not as a painter. This shows just how much Oscar Ghez demonstrated an extremely visionary taste as a collector, who always operated on passion and love at first sight."
Caillebotte, who is also famous for his work "The Floor Scrapers," was largely overlooked as an artist during the period when Ghez made his acquisition. This demonstrates the collector's remarkable ability to recognize artistic merit before it gained widespread recognition. Ghez's purchase of the work represents what Lussiez describes as "a true masterstroke" in collecting.
Marjorie Klein, curator at the Petit Palais Museum in Geneva, provides additional insight into Ghez's collecting methodology. She reveals that Oscar Ghez purchased the painting from a Parisian gallery, "relying only on his eye." Klein emphasizes that "He listened very little to the advice given to him, the opinions of dealers or critics." This independent approach to collecting allowed Ghez to make acquisitions based purely on his personal aesthetic judgment rather than market trends or expert opinions.
The acquisition strategy employed by Ghez demonstrates a collector who trusted his instincts above all else. Behind each of his acquisitions, he maintained a consistent philosophy that guided his collecting decisions, though the article notes that additional details about this philosophy would require further exploration of the exhibition materials.
