It is very humbling to enter an exhibition at the Louvre and realize that you don’t know anything about the topic and have to look up most words in the dictionary. This is what happened to me last week at the opening of “Royaumes oubliés, de l’Empire Hittite aux Araméens“. I looked around to see if I was the only … Read More
Notre Dame, a world drama with many wonderful outcomes
My first reaction, when I saw the blazing spear falling down from Notre Dame at 7.30 pm, was that Emmanuel Macron was saved. He was to give a major speech on television at 8pm to answer the requests of the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow vests) and justly decided to cancel. The priority was for him to be seen at Notre Dame. … Read More
Fontainebleau celebrates Art history, on June 7-9
The 9 th Festival of art history is taking place at Château de Fontainebleau, an hour south of Paris, and this year the theme is “The people”. Instigated by Pierre Rosenberg, the three day event brings together art historians, curators, museum directors, artists and publishers and this edition is dedicated to five Northern countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The … Read More
Helena Rubinstein, a modern business woman, who loved art!
What is most interesting in the Helena Rubinstein exhibition at Musée d’art et d’Histoire juive, is the artistic talents that she developed over a long career as a business woman of beauty. All along her intense and long life, this young woman born in Krakow in 1872, was interested in fashion, painters, architects and decorators. Like Jeanne Lanvin or Christian … Read More
Christo will wrap the Arc de Triomphe for Easter 2020
On April 6 th to 19 th 2020, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris will be wrapped by Christo with silver blue recyclable polypropylène fabric and red rope. This was decided by the French President Emmanuel Macron with Philippe Bélaval, head of the Centre des Monuments nationaux (which includes Arc de Triomphe) and Serge Lasvignes, President of Centre Pompidou, who … Read More
Galeries Lafayette move to Champs Elysées
Galeries Lafayette probably chose the most dramatic times to open their new flagship store on the Champs Elysées but Minister Bruno Le Maire insisted, in his inauguration speech, on the Renaissance of the avenue with this magistral cathedral of design. A department store conceived like a museum, this is not new in Hong Kong or in Japan or even in … Read More
Château de Chantilly is in full swing !
Château de Chantilly is going through fascinating times and the official inauguration of the Petits appartements was a true family event with very prestigious good fairies. First, the new director of the Foundation, Fériel Fodil, is a beautiful young woman who worked on the Louvre Abu Dhabi for eight years and she conducted the ceremony with authority and great charm. … Read More
“Hauteville House”, Victor Hugo’s magical retreat in Guernsey
Victor Hugo was the greatest French writer, dramaturge and poet of the 19 th century, he was a talented drawer and apparently a dedicated decorator. At least in the only house that he ever owned, Hauteville House on the British island of Guernsey, where he wrote “Les Misérables”, and many more plays and novels, between 1856 and 1870 when he … Read More