Courtauld shows all Cézannes

The Courtauld Gallery is to show its entire collection of works by Paul Cézanne for the first time.

Most were bought by the gallery's founder, Samuel Courtauld, when he fell in love with the French artist's work in the Twenties. He even established a fund to compel Britain's institutions to buy Cézanne.

The Courtauld owns 10 oils, including well-known works such as Card Players and Man With A Pipe, and nine drawings and watercolours on paper.

The exhibition also features personal letters, translated for the show, including one of Cézanne's last in which he rails against old age. The artist died in 1906, aged 67. Others describe the principles of his art.

Barnaby Wright, who is curating the show with John House, said Cezanne was 'the father of modern painting and a towering genius of the 19th century.'

He added: 'It's a wonderful way to celebrate the Courtauld's 75th birthday.'

The exhibition is due to be visited by the Princess Royal today in her role as chancellor of the University of London of which the Courtauld is a part.

The Courtauld Cézannes opens tomorrow at the gallery in Somerset House and runs until 5 October.