CULTURE AND ARTS
Lourmarin is considered the cultural hub of the Lubéron and, according to "Insight Guides," its cultural influence has few rivals in the entire Vaucluse. Its potential as a cultural center was recognized as early as the turn of the 20th century when Robert Laurent-Vibert rescued the Château from its demise and transformed it into the summer residence for artists that it is today.
Laurent-Vibert introduced Provençal writer, Henri Bosco (1888-1976), to Lourmarin. The French writer was profoundly inspired by what de described as the "magic" of the Lubéron. He and his wife made regular summer sojourns to Lourmarin and eventually purchased a small house. Bosco used the area as the setting for most of his books. Bosco, in turn, introduced French author, Albert Camus (1913-1960), to Lourmarin in 1946. He was immediately charmed by the village which perhaps reminded him of his native Algeria. In 1958, after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, he used some of that money to purchase a rather unassuming house in the center of the village. It remains standing today on what is now called rue Albert Camus. Camus died just two years later in an automobile accident. Both he and Bosco are buried in the village cemetery.
Today, Lourmarin continues to draw writers and artists who, like those before them, find creative inspiration in the village and environs. The village is home to at least ten artists and an unknown number of writers, including the English author, Peter Mayle. In the summer months, the area swells with musicians who come to study and compete at the Fondation de Lourmarin Laurent-Vibert. This vibrant culture, not surpisingly, is a drawing card for French and international travelers alike who come to Lourmarin to appreciate the arts.
In the surrounding areas, just a short drive from Lourmarin, there is more to savor in the realm of culture and arts. A mere sampling of musical offerings will hopefully whet your appetite. (Then, consult our Calendar of Events.) Less than 30 minutes south of Lourmarin is La Roque d'Anthéron where its famed piano music festival is held in the summer. In Aix-en-Provence, about 30 minutes away, there is ongoing music, but in the summer, the area is filled with jazz and opera aficionados who come for their respective annual festivals. In Orange, about an hour away, there is summer series of opera and classical music in the Théâtre Antique, an extraordinarily well preserved Roman theatre. Nearby, there are also small museums housing impressive art collections as well as those with interesting displays of Provençal fabrics, the history of bread making, basket making, santons, archeological finds, even dinosaur eggs, and more. There are beautiful churches and architecture spanning centuries. There is clearly something for everybody.
The Provençal calendar is fullest in the summer, but the influence of culture and arts is apparent year-round, particularly in the form of festivals. There are harvest festivals for, not surprisingly, the harvesting of grapes and the release of wine, but also olive oil, truffles, mushrooms, lavender, as well as for popular saints and holidays.
Provence has always been the stomping ground for those with a bent toward culture and arts. We would be remiss is we didn't refresh the reader's memory that famous writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemmingway, Henry James, Marcel Pagnol, to name just a few were inspired by and wrote of Provence. Artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paul Signac, and Paul Cézanne (who was born in Aix-en-Provence) have all been drawn to the famous Provençal light as well as its beauty.
As a visitor, you can see the places about which the writers wrote or stand in the places the artists painted. Or perhaps you will come to be inspired yourself. Lourmarin is an ideal location for either (or both).
