One cannot fully appreciate 20th-century art without understanding the significance and genius of Paul Cézanne. Based on a major international exhibition featuring over fifty of the artist's portraits from private and public collections worldwide, this documentary offers a unique exploration into a lesser-known side of the legendary Post-Impressionist. Filmed at prestigious institutions including the National Portrait Gallery in London, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the film incorporates high-definition exhibition footage alongside insights from world-leading art curators and the artist’s own correspondence. Directed by Phil Grabsky, Portraits of a Life takes audiences beyond the gallery walls to the places Cézanne lived and worked, shedding light on a visionary creator famously described by both Picasso and Matisse as "the father of us all."