Hubert Guerrand Hermès died abruptly on May 25, 2016. A member of the Hermès family, he was a charming man and a fabulous collector. His eclectic taste from the library of Duchesse de Berry (Marie Caroline de Bourbon-Sicile) to Anselm Kiefer and François Xavier Lalanne, shows what a gentleman he was and you can see the content of Hotel de … Read More
A Lebanese writer leads the French Academy, tapestries at auction, Irving Penn photographs and more…
When the Perpetual secretary of the French Academy, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, died on August 5, at 94, the institution which is in charge of writing the dictionary and defending our language, was suddenly abandoned. This amazing woman, born in France, from parents who had emigrated to France, after the Russian Revolution, became one of the foremost Historians in France: she … Read More
A busy week ahead, and full of drawings…
This week is going to be hot on the drawing side since there are no less than four art fairs, many more exhibitions in private galleries and a large auction by Ader at Hotel Drouot of Talabardon and Gautier‘s paintings. Le Salon du Dessin at the former Stock Exchange, place de la Bourse, Drawing Now at Carreau du Temple, the … Read More
At Christie’s and at Galerie Kugel, Hubert de Givenchy’s taste is revived.
It took a whole year for the French and International teams of Christie’s to organize this “house” sale of Hubert de Givenchy‘s two properties: his apartment in the Hôtel inhabited by the Bemberg on rue de Grenelle, and his country house of Manoir du Jonchet. Bedrooms, gardens, a few salons have been reinvented on avenue Matignon and the privileged visitors … Read More
A romantic concert, a book signing and Monet’s Japanese woodblock prints…What a week!
When you receive an invitation to a concert in a “Viennese salon 1820-1830”, you worry that it won’t be genuine. But when I arrived at Mairie du 9e arrondissement and sat facing a beautiful Rosenberger 1820 piano owned by the Roman pianist Luca Montebugnoli, I suddenly realized how romantic and charming the evening would be. What I could not guess beforehand … Read More
Daniel Marchesseau parts with his Lalannes to benefit Musée d’Orsay
I now realize what a rare privilege it was to have dinner beneath the 700 000€ Lalanne suspension and facing the Alechinski painting at Daniel Marchesseau‘s house in the 7 th arrondissement. It was always a round table of ten, slightly too tight with a mix of collectors, young curators, beautiful ladies and blinis and salmon eggs eaten with the … Read More
Do not miss, this week!
The new film written and directed by novelist Marc Dugain after Balzac’s literary chef d’oeuvre “Eugénie Grandet”, which seemed like another cliché adaptation on the posters, is actually incredibly subtle and wonderful. All actors, Joséphine Japy, Olivier Gourmet, Valérie Bonneton and César Donboy are excellent in their sensitive acting and this story of a stingy winemaker near Saumur, who eventually … Read More
The Michel Périnet sale, an event at Christie’s
The catalog itself is a piece of art and the estimates of 1-2 million € modest apparently for some of the pieces from the Michel Périnet collection of African and Oceanian art, sold at Christie’s Paris by François de Ricqlès on June 23. Well known for his expertise as an auctioneer, Ricqlès was President of Christie’s France from 2010 to … Read More