The Chartres cathedral is famous for its spectacular XII th and XIII th century stained glass windows and for the past seven years it has undergone a drastic cleaning up inside as well as the restoration of the organ. The new event is the installation of the Treasure, the relics including the veil of the Virgin Mary, offered to the … Read More
Galleries in the Marais and Art for kids
Last Friday, I went on a stroll in the Marais and was not disappointed by what I saw. At David Zwirner, the Japanese Ceramist Shio Kusaka has a long installation in the superb skylit space which used to be the Yvon Lambert gallery at 108 rue Vieille du Temple. It has recently been entirely renovated by Selldorf Architects and it … Read More
Musée Jacquemart-André is young again!
The best surprise at Musée Jacquemart André which is reopening after a year long closure is not its exhibition “Masterpieces from Gallery Borghese”, but the complete renovation of its Tiepolo ceiling, marble staircase and Brussels tapestries, the tea room and mostly the courtyard which was entirely paved (instead of dirty gravel) and has a vegetal centerpiece conceived by Esprit Jardin. … Read More
In Issy les Moulineaux, Dubuffet’s Tower is fascinating
As the inventor of Art Brut, Jean Dubuffet, the famous artist, is also well known in Lausanne and elsewhere for his collections of strange paintings. La Tour aux Figures in Parc départemental de l’île Saint Germain, is the epitomy of art brut when you walk inside and try to go up the uneven steps and black and white irregular decors. … Read More
Tyntesfield, the ultimate Victorian estate…
On my way from Henley to Penzance, I had to stop for lunch since I cannot drive with an empty stomach. And Bristol seemed to be the right distance so I ended up in the most beautiful estate, Tyntesfield, run by the National Trust, just outside the city. Originally a 16 th century hunting lodge it was enlarged with a … Read More
In Soissons, François Rouan takes over the famous “Vase”
Soissons, a desolate town located an hour and a half North East of Paris, is well known for its broken vase at the time of King Clovis’s victory over the Roman General Syagrius, in 486. This former capital of France in the 5 th century, was heavily bombarded during WWI and the beautiful cathedral stands but with very few stained … Read More
Sculptures leave the galleries for private Homes and Hotels!
It seems to be a new trend in contemporary art. Thaddaeus Ropac and Kamel Mennour send their sculptures as ambassadors to grand castles in England for Ropac and to Hotel du Cap Eden Roc for Mennour. The latter had already experimented with the Bristol Hotel in Paris where a pagoda by Daniel Buren had illuminated the gardens in June 2006. … Read More
Musée de l’Armée gets a facelift in the Invalides
70 % of the 1, 2 million visitors at Musée de l’Armée are foreigners and the largest group is American. So you will be pleased to learn that, after four years of works and 15 M € spent under the architects Antoine Dufour , two new galleries have been opened, one dedicated to the history of Hotel des Invalides founded … Read More