Banknote Billet France 100 francs Paul Cézanne 1997

Remarks:

Plis et salissures

The 100 francs Cézanne banknote is part of one of the last series of French franc banknotes issued before the transition to the euro. Put into circulation in 1997, this banknote bears the print date 1998 and is identified by series M.

This banknote pays tribute to the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), a major figure in the history of French art, considered a precursor of the Cubist and Modernist movements. Originally from Aix-en-Provence, Cézanne is particularly renowned for his repeated depictions of Mont Sainte-Victoire and his series of still lifes featuring apples.

The obverse of the banknote features a portrait of Paul Cézanne, accompanied by visual elements directly related to his pictorial work. References to his famous still lifes as well as his Provençal landscapes can be found on it. The reverse of the banknote also features artistic motifs inspired by his work, including depictions of Mont Sainte-Victoire, the iconic landscape intimately linked to the artist.

The graphic design of this banknote was created under the auspices of the Banque de France, which at the time oversaw the entire national fiduciary production. Banknotes of this era were manufactured using intaglio printing techniques, incorporating various security features characteristic of late 20th-century banknotes, such as security threads, watermarks, and special inks.

With a face value of 100 francs, this banknote represented an intermediate denomination in the French monetary system of the time. The Cézanne series today stands as an important testament to French monetary and artistic policy of the 1990s, on the eve of the transition to the single European currency that took place in 2002.