It is not that easy to get to from Paris (50 mins), but La Vallée aux loups, Chateaubriand’s property in Chatenay Malabry, south of the capital, is a dream place well worth a day’s excursion. The house first, which was built in 1783, is the perfect size and has exquisite furniture. The park with its two hundred year old cedar … Read More
The “balustrade challenge” at the British Embassy
I have known Ben Newick, the head butler at the British Embassy in Paris, for thirty years (when Michael Jay was ambassador) and he sent me a message this week. Since the beginning of the confinement, he has attempted to clean the balustrade of the main 1850 staircase, over two landings and five flights, in what used to be the … Read More
Amiens celebrates its modernized museum
It took 10 years and three different curators to renovate Musée de Picardie in Amiens and the inauguration on February 29 th, in the midst of the coronavirus was somewhat doomed. But I was curious to visit the city where Emmanuel Macron was raised and where his love affair with Brigitte (born Trogneux), started. Amiens is famous for its huge … Read More
Charlotte Perriand is also a photographer
In the large Charlotte Perriand exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton, I spotted a few powerful photographs and my curiosity was aroused. So as soon as I heard of the new show at Institut de France, I rushed and was happy to visit the very elegant place with the curator Lélia Wanick Salgado and the architect’s daughter, Pernette Perriand-Barsac who worked with … Read More
Cité de l’architecture explodes with drawings
I was attracted to Palais de Chaillot by the Otto Wagner exhibition about the famous Vienese architect and as a bonus I found the exquisite show of architectural drawings from the Albertina museum in Vienna. So there is definitely a double attraction at Cité de l’architecture at the moment and you can end your visit with the small space devoted … Read More
Paulin, Paulin, Paulin at Sotheby’s
There is an exhibition which will only last a week at Sotheby’s Paris, from 31 January to February 6, which you should absolutely see and very exceptionally, I am telling you about it before it actually opens: “Paulin, Paulin, Paulin”, is devoted to designer Pierre Paulin‘s work. His furniture, edited since he died in 2009, by his widow Maïa and … Read More
The Musée Fabre in Montpellier and great food!
Musée Fabre in Montpellier became a true star in the summer of 2012, when it organized with FRAME (French American Museum exchange) the fabulous Caravaggio exhibition, which subsequently traveled around the US. It was founded by French artist François-Xavier Fabre (1766-1837), in 1825 and is located in the old Montpellier, the capital of Languedoc, which was a Protestant stronghold until the 17 … Read More
Concept Cars reign in Compiègne
Château de Compiègne, where the young Marie Antoinette was welcomed by Louis XVth upon her arrival in France from Austria, on May 14, 1770, has been recently revamped and its different drawing rooms and galleries are on top form especially since Rodolphe Rapetti, its Director, arrived two years ago. He loves cars and had the idea of this amazing exhibition … Read More