Baigneurs (Bathers)

November 1899

Sale of the Jas de Bouffan

At his sister's insistence he sold the deserted Jas de Bouffan estate and moved to a small town apartment at 23 rue Boulegon in Aix; a planned purchase of the Château Noir fell through. He hired a housekeeper, Madame Brémond, who cared for him until his death.

1901–1903

The Studio on the Chemin des Lauves

In 1901 he bought a plot of land north of Aix, in 1902 built a studio there to his own specifications (now the Atelier de Cézanne), and moved in in 1903; a long narrow slot was cut into the wall to admit natural light for the large "Bathers."

29 September 1902

Death of Émile Zola

Zola's death plunged Cézanne into mourning, despite their long estrangement.

15 October – 15 November 1904

A Cézanne Room at the Salon d'Automne: First Triumph

An entire room of the Salon d'Automne in Paris was devoted to Cézanne's works; this retrospective became the artist's first real success — indeed, a triumph.

15 October 1906

Caught in a Storm and Fatal Pneumonia

While painting in the fields he was caught in a thunderstorm and lost consciousness on the way home; the exposure led to severe pneumonia. The next day he still worked in the garden on the "Portrait of the Gardener Vallier," then took to his bed and never rose again.