Self-guided art of tour of Provence

I've not been to Nice so have never been to either museum although I really like both artists. However, I can't imagine doing 2 museums on an arrival day after an overnight flight. My last couple of trips I've used the Timeshifter app for jet lag so have none to very little BUT I still can't imagine having the attention span to do that much indoor art on arrival.

Looks like Day 4 might have been dropped?

Everyone has their own travel style so while staying in a different hotel every night (or do you have 2 nights in Aix?) works for some it would not work for my particular travel style. Your trip, your choices.

tdrisa,
You have some packed days in your plans. I will offer some advice about your timing, if I may. Day 1, as Pam noted, sounds questionable to me regarding time. And I see day 4 isn't in there. Is that in Aix-en-Provence?
You don't seem to have factored in time for meals, except for that one lunch. Drive times should be padded as you will probably have to search for parking spots in many towns. You also may have a bit of a hike in some locations to get where you want to be after parking. Allow some time for checking in and out of lodgings. And one hint about Marseille, a town we know well (my husband lived there as a boy and we still have family there)....driving in town is awful. Allow lots of time to get to your hotel and from the hotel to the airport (where I assume you are flying from). Marignac airport is outside the city. Factor in enough time tio get there and gas up the car and turn it in.

You have some wonderful art experiences ahead of you. Allow yourself enough time to relish them.
Bon Voyage! Amusez-vous bien!

tdrisa,
One last comment. Drive times between towns, as listed in Viamichelin.com and Google, do not factor in time for gas or food or bathroom stops. We almost always drive in France, and usually add an hour to the suggested drive times, if they are over 2 hours, and uadd p to 2 hours, if the drive is 4 hours or more. It sounds like a lot, I know, but you don't want to get a speeding ticket in France. There are lots of cameras, and the ticket could arrive at your home over 6 months later. I hope you can take mostly the D roads (not autoroute) so you will see more of the countryside and have the opportunity to stop if you come upon something you want to explore or see. Bonne chance!

I apologize for the name misspell. I typed it correctly but didn't proofread and autocorrect seems to like a "d" better than a "c". So sorry.

Some suggestions: agree that the Chagall and Matisse on day 1 is probably unlikely unless you sleep in layflat seats or you are flying within Europe. The Nice City museum has some interesting paintings by Dufy and Bonnard. There is also an excellent museum of "art naif". You don't need to change hotels to closeby Antibe, just a day trips to Saint Paul and Antibes. Save yourselves time. Neither the Matisse nor the Picasso in Antibes will fill two hours, but the settings are lovely. Rousillon needs and deserves two hours.

Aix needs more time for all the Cezanne goings-on. The Caumont Art Center has a Niki de Saint Phalle exhibit until October 5th, which I'm seeing this week. Visit the cathedral. You should just stop in Cassis on your way to Aix instead of spending almost 24 hours there; I spent 6 months in Cassis and love it, but your time is limited. The view of Cap Canaille from town is spectacular. Kayaking will depend on water/wind conditions. Even the tourist boats don't take people to see the Calanques under windy conditions.

Senanque is a Cistersian site, and since Cistersians are iconoclasts, there is no art inside. Nothing. Not a sculpture, not a decoration. I found it boring. I wouldn't waste time when there is so much to see. There won't be any lavendar. There is an incredible monastary 1.5 hours beyond Senacque: Ganagobi.

Arles: I don't think there is any Van Gogh art, just a tourist trail. The foundation and the Espace are both exhibition centers. The Espace is the hospital. I will be going to the Foundation this week for the special exhibit on the same trip to Aix. There is also Luma in Arles, which is an incredible Contemporary art site, a Frank Gehry building.

I'd suggest the Carrière des Lumières 15 minutes from St. Remy in Les Baux if the show interests you. I thought the Monet show was very poor, not clear as they tried to imitate impressionism and just got fuzzy images, and the natural stone walls distort a bit. But if you've never experienced one of these shows, I'd consider it. They are 1/3 the price in France compared to the US.

And, to answer one of your questions, you should not regret leaving out Avignon. You're hitting the most important places.