A prolific artist who synthesized formal problems through a close study of objects, Paul Cézanne’s lifelong engagement with still life yielded what is arguably the most innovative body of work in the genre by any artist in the Western canon. Premiering this weekend at the Barnes Foundation, “The World is an Apple: The Still Lifes of Cézanne” exhibition is a select gathering of 21 paintings which includes early to very late works — with themes ranging from apples and flowers to skulls — and demonstrates Cézanne’s achievement in the genre. This is the only U.S. location where this exhibition will be seen, and is primarily made up of paintings from private collections around the world, so are rarely seen by the public.

“While he surely looked closely at nature, Cézanne self-consciously plays with colors, forms and space in a manner that invites a free association that contrasts with the fixed meanings of academic tradition in his still lifes. He creates an alternative world where things can move and exist improbably and signify variously, exploding and evading the traditional containment of the ‘silent life of things,’” explained exhibition curator Benedict Leca.