In Cancale, African “Fragments” in a new gallery, is worth the detour

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Hélène Jayet, “A Griot’s wife” II, series BLAD SOUD © 31 PROJECT

Antoine Dupin has already had multiple lives. After a degree in law specializing in the art market, he worked in the Art Deco department of an auction house, in Shanghai for a French gallery, then in Paris for a law firm. But when he met his future wife, also a lawyer in the art world, he decided to join her family in Cancale where her father, Olivier Roellinger, runs with his son Hugo, the Château Richeux hôtel and restaurant in Saint Méloir-des-Ondes, near Saint Malo. The result is a  beautiful space in a former barn, with high ceiling and sculpted beams. For his first summer, he is showing until September 17, three African artists from Nigeria, Kenya and Mali, who are each spectacular. If you are in the area don’t miss it.Read More

The Pantheon has become the “it” place!

parisdiaArchitecture, Art, History3 Comments

Ann Veronica Janssens’ installation at the Pantheon gives a new vision of the architecture

Like most Parisians, I never go to the Pantheon, but Ann Veronica Janssens‘s project (until October 30) enticed me to return at a time, in mid August, when Paris’ museums are folding all their exhibitions. And it was a great experience. Three thousand visitors enter the Pantheon every day in the summer and to see children running around, young couples making selfies in front of François Léon Sicard‘s National Convention, or Anselm Kiefer‘s six large installations was uplifting. The light is beautiful in this resting place of the great figures of France. More recently, Simone Veil and Joséphine Baker were pantheonized, two very unusual women who attracted more light to the monument. Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, Jean Moulin are all revered in this former church of Sainte Geneviève, which has become the symbol of the Republic. It was designed by the architect Jacques Germain Soufflot.Read More

Art Brut drawings at Halle Saint Pierre, in Montmartre

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Sergeï Isupov, Guardian, 2009, porcelain, courtesy Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, Massachusetts

Halle Saint Pierre is a pretty building with a great café, at the bottom of Montmartre, which specializes in Art Brut. Next to it is the famous Marché Saint Pierre where you can buy discounted fabric by the greatest manufacturers. I like to visit this art center for it always exhibits little known International artists, self made painters, or incarcerated in mental institutions and in prisons. This time, a group of drawings in the show “Hey! Le Dessin” offers a huge variety of talents from South African comics artist Anton Kannemeyer to American Amanda Smith, Marcel Storr, Emile Simonet or Laurie Lipton. It is curated by Anne Richard who founded the Hey! Modern art and Pop Centre.Read More

I look forward to… in September

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Gérard Garouste, “Pinocchio and the dice game”, 2017, Photo Bertrand Huet/Tutti

Gérard Garouste is one of my favorite painters. I met him with Elie Schulman in 1979 at Le Palace where he painted the decor of the restaurant le Privilège and then later, on many occasions with Daniel Templon who still exhibits him today. A retrospective of 120 of his paintings is starting at Centre Pompidou on September 7 until January 2, 2023. With his wife Elisabeth, a talented designer, he has built a rich career in the theater and as a painter and sculptor. His autobiography “L’Intranquille” written with Judith Perrignon, is an exceptional book and an English translation by Georgia de Chamberet can be found at Galerie Templon. This French artist, one of the rare to have had three exhibition with Leo Castelli in New York, was represented by Durand-Dessert and Daniel Templon. He illustrated a book of Don Quixote by Cervantès with Diane de Selliers in 1998.

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New England is the best in the summer

parisdiaArt, Happy moments9 Comments

Marblehead harbor as seen from the Eastern Yacht club on Marblehead Neck

There is nothing that I like more in the summer than flying off to Boston and land in Marblehead, on the North shore, where a fabulous sunset awaits me with a gin and tonic and the view of the harbor. And this is an experience I had not had in four years. So you can imagine my level of excitement when I boarded my AF flight for a new US adventure full of Key lime pies and lobster rolls. Black Point near New London, Sag Harbor, Madison, Woodbury and Warren in Ct, then back to Old Saybrook and Marblehead… What an enchanting holiday! with cultural high points in Hartford, Salem and Sag Harbor. Read More

The Wadsworth Atheneum museum in Hartford is a must

parisdiaArt, Furniture, Happy moments, Photography3 Comments

Albert Bloch, Untitled (Cityscape), 1911, Bloch was the only American painter associated with teh Blue Rider movement in Munich

As a member of Frame (French American museum exchange) the Wadsworth Atheneum is on the list of the most excellent “provincial” museums in America and I could not skip a visit there since my last encounter with its galleries dated back to 2017. I went with art historian Cynthia Saltzman whose latest book “Plunder” on Napoleon’s love for Veronese!!! is a bookstore success, which made the visit even more interesting. there are many treasures in this museum founded in 1842 by Daniel Wadsworth, an amateur artist and architect. It now holds 50 000 works from European baroque and Impressionists to the Hudson River School. It was largely endowed by John Pierpont Morgan, born in Hartford in 1837, whose collections (1300 works) of porcelain and Venetian glass can be seen. The mix of modern and old art makes it an exceptional place to visit. Read More

When Picabia steels from Ingres… by Jean Hubert Martin

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Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Eve, ca 1815, Montauban, Musée Ingres Bourdelle

It all happened when Jean-Hubert Martin, who lives part of the year near Montauban, discovered a book of photographs of Ingres’ drawings in the library of the museum. He realized that many of Francis Picabia‘s drawings and paintings were directly inspired by Ingres and that the iconoclast artist had obvioulsy seen the book by Jacques Edouard Gatteaux of 120 drawings and paintings published in 1873 and again in 1921. In 1976, Martin had initiated the exhibition on Picabia at Musée National d’art moderne and writes in the catalog that there have been many discoveries since. The show is cocurated with Florence Viguier-Dutheil the dynamic director of Musée Ingres-Bourdelle in Montauban.Read More

An excellent sole at Garnier and good Muscadet!

parisdiaRestaurants & Hotels5 Comments

The best sole of Paris at a reasonable price is at Garnier

I don’t know if you like sole, what the Brits call a Dover Sole, a real thick and large fish simply cooked in butter or grilled? For some reason their prices have become astronomical and most often you are being served filets or goujonnettes. What I like is to spend an extensive amount of time preparing it in my plate and looking forward to the first mouthful. So when a faithful friend of mine invited me have lunch at Garnier, across the street from Gare Saint Lazare, and mentioned the soles, I fantasized all week. And I was not disappointed, it is excellent at 47€.Read More