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43-464: Fekkai was born and raised in Aix-en-Provence , France to Moroccan parents. In 1979 at the age of 21, Fekkai moved to New York to start his career. Fekkai moved to Paris in 1979 as a 21-year-old apprentice to the acclaimed hairdresser Jacques Dessange . A quick learner, three years later he would move to New York to launch an American salon for Dessange. By 1989 he was opening his own salon in

86-512: A rapidly decreasing number of people, is part of the provencal dialect of the Occitan language. The provencal for "Aix-en-Provence" is "Ais de Prouvènço" [ˈaj de pʀuˈvɛ̃sɔ] . Most of the older streets in Aix have names in both Provençal and French. Aix hosted the ninth International Congress of Modern Architecture in 1953. Aix is the home town of the rugby union team Provence Rugby . It played host to

129-523: A time he was in Hawaii ; given this claim (from a deposition which took place on May 18, 2016) has merit, it is likely that he and Epstein were acquaintances. This French business–related biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence or simply Aix , is a city and commune in southern France , about 30 km (20 mi) north of Marseille . A former capital of Provence , it

172-412: Is a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane trees , bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains. It follows the line of the old city wall, and divides the town into two sections. The new town extends to the south and west; the old town, with its narrow, irregular streets, and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, lies to the north. Situated on this avenue, which

215-533: Is lined on one side with banks and on the other with cafés, is the Deux Garçons, the most famous brasserie in Aix. Built in 1792, it was frequented by the likes of Paul Cézanne , Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway . On 3 November 2019, Les Deux Garçons was devastated by a fire that engulfed the entire building, leaving the much loved establishment just a shell. The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour ( Aix Cathedral )

258-541: Is often regarded as a celebrity hair stylist. In 2015, Fekkai and his wife acquired Côté Bastide, a 25-year-old lifestyle brand from his hometown of Aix-en-Provence. The couple relaunched the business as Bastide, a collection of natural beauty and luxury home products. The name is inspired by the couple's own bastide in Aix. Fekkai divides his time between New York City and Aix-en-Provence, France Fekkai has been named on documents regarding Jeffrey Epstein , alleging that Epstein attempted to "look for girls" for him at

301-455: Is situated to the north in the medieval part of Aix. Built on the site of a former Roman forum and an adjacent basilica, it contains a mixture of all styles from the 5th to the 17th century, including a richly decorated portal in the Gothic style with doors elaborately carved in walnut . The interior contains 16th-century tapestries, a 15th-century triptych depicting King René and his wife on

344-464: Is the subprefecture of the arrondissement of Aix-en-Provence , in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône , in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur . The population of Aix-en-Provence is approximately 145,000. Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains . Aix ( Aquae Sextiae ) was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus , who gave his name to its springs, following

387-557: The Festival international d'Art Lyrique , founded in 1948, now ranks with those in Bayreuth , Salzburg and Glyndebourne . The director until 2018 was Bernard Foccroulle , organist and director of la Monnaie in Brussels. The festival takes place in late June and July each year. The main venues in Aix itself are the outdoor Théâtre de l'Archévêché in the former garden of the archbishop's palace,

430-523: The All Blacks during the early stages of the 2007 Rugby World Cup . Ysabel , the tenth novel of the best-selling Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay , was set and written in Aix. Italian electroacoustic artist Giuseppe Ielasi 's album Aix was produced in Aix-en-Provence, hence the title. This is also the site of an alleged sighting and landing of a UFO in 1981 that is taken seriously by GEIPAN ,

473-657: The Bellonids , the descendants of Wilfred the Hairy . They inherited most of the Catalan counties by the thirteenth century and established a territorial Principality of Catalonia , uniting it with the Kingdom of Aragon through marriage and conquering numerous other lands and kingdoms until the death of the last legitimate male of the main branch, Martin the Humanist , in 1410. Cadet branches of

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516-590: The Berlin Philharmonic was performed at the Aix festival. The current director of the festival is Pierre Audi . This takes place each year in June to coincide with the national ' Fête de la Musique .' There is a week of classical, jazz, and popular concerts held in different street venues and courtyards in the city. Some of these events are held in the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud , named in honour of

559-579: The French Alps . A frequent and rapid shuttle bus service for commuters operates between the bus station in Aix and Marseille. There are many other long distance and local buses from the bus station. The city also offers a "city pass" available in 24, 48, and 72-hour packages for visiting tourists. The "pass tourisitque" is offered at the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office, the Atelier de Cézanne, and

602-640: The Visigoths in 477. In the succeeding century, the town was repeatedly plundered by the Franks and Lombards , and was occupied by the Saracens in 731 and by Charles Martel in 737. Aix, which during the Middle Ages was the capital of Provence , did not reach its zenith until after the 12th century, when, under the houses of Barcelona/Aragon and Anjou , it became an artistic centre and seat of learning. Aix passed to

645-512: The "boulevard exterieur", the predominantly one-way ring road that encircles the old town. Access to the old town is by a series of often narrow one-way streets that can be confusing to navigate for the uninitiated. As well as overland routes, two "rivers" flow through Aix, the Arc and the Torse, but neither of which can remotely be described as navigable. The local Aix dialect, rarely used and spoken by

688-628: The Cité du Livre are the Grand Théâtre de Provence and the Pavillon Noir (see above). To the east of Aix rises Montagne Sainte-Victoire (1,011 metres or 3,317 feet), one of the landmarks of the Pays d'Aix. It is accessible from the centre of Aix by road or on foot, taking the wooded footpath of Escrachou Pevou to the plateau of Bibemus. It dramatically overshadows the small dam built by Émile Zola 's father and

731-656: The Darius Milhaud Conservatory designed by Kengo Kuma . Aix has several museums and galleries: Prior to 1989 Aix had several libraries, for example in the Parc Jourdan and the Town Hall. In 1989, many of these were moved to the Méjanes, an old match factory. In 1993, the "Cité du Livre" was opened around the library. This has media spaces for dance, cinema and music, and a training facility for librarians. Adjacent to

774-634: The Four Dolphins) in the Quartier Mazarin, designed by Jean-Claude Rambot, and three of the fountains down the central Cours Mirabeau: at the top, a 19th-century fountain depicts the "good king" René holding the Muscat grapes that he introduced to Provence in the 15th century; halfway down is a natural hot water fountain (34 °C), covered in moss, dating back to the Romans; and at the bottom, at la Rotonde,

817-629: The French composer, a native of Aix. The dance company Ballet Preljocaj of the French dancer and choreographer Angelin Preljocaj has been located in Aix since 1996. In 2007 it took up residence in the Pavillon Noir , a centre for dance performance, designed in 1999 by the architect Rudy Ricciotti . The centre is one of nineteen of its kind in France, designated Centre chorégraphique national . Aix-en-Provence

860-586: The Mediterranean coast of Provence; and to Nice and other towns on the French Riviera . Aix and Marseille are equidistant from the Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) at Marignane on the Étang de Berre which features domestic and international scheduled passenger service. There is another airport at Les Milles, which is mostly used by general aviation. There is a frequent bus shuttle service from

903-627: The Upper Continental Miocene gave rise to a Christian dragon legend. Aix-en-Provence is situated in the south of France, in a plain overlooking the Arc river, about 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) from the right bank of the river. The city slopes gently from north to south and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire can easily be seen to the east. Aix's position in the south of France gives it a warm climate, though more extreme than Marseille due to

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946-550: The city and was a frequent subject of Cézanne's works. Aix has long been a university town: Louis II of Anjou granted a royal charter for a university in 1409. Today Aix-en-Provence remains an important educational centre, with many teaching and research institutes: Aix also has several training collèges, lycées, and a college of art and design. It has also become a centre for many international study programmes. Several lycées offer CPGE . Aix holds two significant musical events each year. These are: An important opera festival,

989-437: The city's Bergdorf Goodman Building . Famous for creating hairstyles for models on both catwalks and magazine covers, he opened salons in both New York City and Los Angeles and went on to launch his own line of hair care products. Fekkai has styled the hair of many prominent women, including Kim Basinger , Jessica Lange , Sigourney Weaver , Claudia Schiffer , Debra Messing , Renée Zellweger , and Hillary Clinton . He

1032-513: The crown of France with the rest of Provence in 1487, and in 1501 Louis XII established there the parliament of Provence, which existed until 1789. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the town was the seat of the Intendance of Provence. Current archeological excavations in the Ville des Tours, a medieval suburb of Aix, have unearthed the remains of a Roman amphitheatre . A deposit of fossil bones from

1075-557: The department within the French Space Agency responsible for investigating aerospace phenomena. Aix-en-Provence is twinned with: Aix-en-Provence also cooperates with: House of Barcelona The House of Barcelona was a medieval dynasty that ruled the County of Barcelona continuously from 878 and the Crown of Aragon from 1137 (as kings from 1162) until 1410. They descend from

1118-509: The destruction of the nearby Gallic oppidum at Entremont . In 102 BC its vicinity was the scene of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae , where the Romans under Gaius Marius defeated the Ambrones and Teutones , with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism. In the 4th century AD it became the metropolis of Narbonensis Secunda . It was occupied by

1161-412: The early Bellonids that did not remain with the family during the tenth century. This Catalan history -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This French history –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Spanish history –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Italian history article

1204-581: The house continued to rule Urgell (since 992) and Gandia . Cadet branches of the dynasty had also ruled Ausona intermittently from 878 until 1111, Provence from 1112 to 1245, and Sicily from 1282 to 1409. By the Compromise of Caspe of 1412 the Crown of Aragon passed to a branch of the House of Trastámara , descended from the infanta Eleanor of the house of Barcelona. This list does not include titles held by

1247-591: The hub of modern Aix, stands a monumental fountain from 1860 beneath three giant statues representing art, justice and agriculture. In the older part of Aix, there are also fountains of note in the Place d'Albertas and the Place des Trois-Ormeaux. Aix is the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. A walking trail links sites including his childhood home, Jas de Bouffan, and his former studio, Atelier Cézanne. The white limestone mountain Sainte-Victoire overlooks

1290-503: The inland location. It has an average January temperature of 6 °C (43  °F ) and a July average of 24 °C (75  °F ). It has an average of 300 days of sunshine and only 58 days of rain. While it is partially protected from the Mistral , Aix still occasionally experiences the cooler and gusty conditions it brings. Like most of the south of France, Aix-en-Provence has a Mediterranean climate ( Köppen Csa). The Cours Mirabeau

1333-476: The last half of the 17th century and contains several notable hôtels particuliers . The 13th-century church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte contains valuable pictures and a recently restored organ. Next to it is the Musée Granet, devoted to European painting and sculpture. Aix is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the most notable are the 17th-century Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of

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1376-505: The legal economy. The current mayor of Aix-en-Provence is Sophie Joissains , elected on September 24, 2021. Presidential Elections Second Round: A set of ancient roads radiate out from Aix to the surrounding countryside, the Pays d'Aix. There are also a large number of modern autoroutes connecting Aix to nearby towns. There are autoroutes northwards to Avignon and to the Luberon ; southwards to Marseille ; and eastwards to Aubagne and

1419-410: The main bus station in Aix which also serves the nearby TGV station at l'Arbois, in the middle of the countryside about 16 kilometres (10 mi) from Aix. At Aix, the line from Paris branches to Marseille and Nice; it takes about 3 hours to get from Paris to Aix by TGV. Aix also has a railway station near the centre, Gare d'Aix-en-Provence , with connections to Marseille, Pertuis and Briançon in

1462-705: The manufacture of confectionery, iron-ware, hats, matches and the extraction of olive oil . Current economic activities include: The airline Twin Jet has its head office in Aix-en-Provence. From 1990 to 2000, criminal organizations established complex extortion rings in Marseille extending to Aix-en-Provence and the greater French Riviera . Since 2002, Le Milieu is known for, in addition to its extortion rings, large counterfeiting and white-collar crime operations. Due to increased financial regulation, Le Milieu has collectively pushed to integrate their crime profits into

1505-482: The official Aix tourism website. In the town itself, there is an inexpensive municipal bus service, including a dial-a-bus service ("proxibus"), a park-and-ride service and tiny electrified buses for those with mobility problems – these are six-seater vehicles that circulate at a speed of 16 km/h (10 mph). The central old town of Aix is for the most part pedestrianised. There are large underground and overground parking structures placed at regular intervals on

1548-408: The public. From 2009 onwards, the château, which now belongs to Jacqueline's daughter Catherine Hutin, has been open to the public from June to September. Mont Sainte-Victoire has a complex network of paths, leading to the priory and Croix de Provence at the summit, to the large man-made reservoir of Bimont and to the Roman viaduct above le Tholonet. Industries formerly included flour-milling,

1591-486: The recently restored 18th-century Théâtre du Jeu de Paume, and the newly built Grand Théâtre de Provence ; operas are also staged in the outdoor Théâtre du Grand Saint-Jean outside Aix. Linked to the festival is the Académie européenne de musique, a summer school for young musicians with master classes by celebrated artists. Over the four-year period from 2006 until 2009, Sir Simon Rattle 's version of Wagner's Ring Cycle with

1634-436: The side panels, as well as a Merovingian baptistery , its Renaissance dome supported by original Roman columns. The archbishop's palace (Palais de l'Archêveché) and a Romanesque cloister adjoin the cathedral on its south side. The Archbishopric of Aix is now shared with Arles . Among its other public institutions, Aix also has the second most important Appeal Court (Palais de Justice) outside of Paris, located near

1677-545: The site of the former Palace of the Counts (Palais des Comtes) of Provence . The Hôtel de Ville (town hall), a building in the classical style of the middle of the 17th century, looks onto a picturesque square (Place de l'Hôtel de Ville). It contains some fine woodwork and tapestries. At its side rises a handsome clock-tower, erected in 1510. Also on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville is the former Corn Exchange (1759–1761) (Halle de Grains). This ornately decorated 18th-century building

1720-509: The village was formerly occupied by the counts of Provence (including René of Anjou ) and the Archbishops of Aix before it became the family home of the marquis de Vauvenargues . It was acquired by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1958, who was resident there from 1959 until 1962, when he moved to Mougins . He and his wife Jacqueline are buried in its grounds, which are not usually open to

1763-422: Was a favourite subject and haunt of Paul Cézanne throughout his lifetime. In the village of Le Tholonet on the precipitous southern side of Mont Sainte-Victoire, there is a windmill that he used, and beyond that a mountain hut, the refuge Cézanne , where he liked to paint. To the north, the mountain slopes gently down through woodland to the village of Vauvenargues . The Château of Vauvenargues overlooking

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1806-689: Was designed by the Vallon brothers. Nearby are the remarkable thermal springs , containing lime and carbonic acid , that first drew the Romans to Aix and gave it the name Aquae Sextiae . A spa was built in 1705 near the remains of the ancient Roman baths of Sextius . South of the Cours Mirabeau is the Quartier Mazarin . This residential district was constructed for the gentry of Aix by Archbishop Michele Mazzarino brother of Cardinal Jules Mazarin in

1849-574: Was part of Marseille-Provence 2013 , the year-long cultural festival when the region served as the European Capital of Culture . Aix hosted several major cultural events including one half of the Grand Atelier du Midi gala exhibition and an episode of the Révélations pyrotechnical performance. The city also unveiled major new cultural infrastructure to coincide with Marseille-Provence 2013, including

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