King Louis Philippe reigned in France from 1830 to 1848. During this time he made a point of transforming Versailles into a historical museum dedicated to all the glories of the country. To celebrate his work, Catherine Pégard, president of Château de Versailles, is opening thirty two new rooms and 5 000 square meters, where the historical galleries will be … Read More
Domaine du Muy, an enchanted sculpture kingdom in Provence
Three years ago, a series of flattering articles in the French and American press alerted me to the success of Jean Gabriel Mitterrand’s sculpture park in le Muy, a little town, an hour north of St Tropez and west of Cannes. There was some mystery around his project and I never got around to visiting it until Anne Laure … Read More
From Provins to Joigny, a fun balade near Paris
The first week end in August is dreaded by all French drivers who fear les “bouchons”, traffic jams, created by millions of vacationers, but if you decide to take small roads to go south, it’s a dream. I spent a week end between Provins, a medieval town 90 mins south east of Paris and was invited to lunch in Joigny, … Read More
Musée de Cluny is young and beautiful again
You thought there was nothing happening in Paris in the summer and went away with a tranquil feeling of not missing anything. Well you were wrong! Musée de Cluny very quietly reopened on July 14th, when everyone had something better to do, except for the 3 080 visitors who rushed over the week end to see it and it is stunning. … Read More
Giacometti at home, in Montparnasse
We are in the heart of Montparnasse, overlooking the cemetery and not far from Fondation Cartier on rue Victor Schoelcher, 1804-1893 the man who abolished slavery in the French colonies. Alberto Giacometti‘s studio is part of a block of houses with many other ateliers, their high windows facing North East. It has just been renovated and opened to the public … Read More
“Les Etés de la danse”, an American ballet festival
It was my first visit to the Seine Musicale, the large concert hall built by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines on Ile Seguin in Boulogne and the occasion was a performance of the Pacific Northwest Ballet from Seattle. A large contingent of West coast benefactors made this evening very special as did my discovery of the new stage of … Read More
Cassel, a wonder town in Flanders
You have probably never been to Cassel, on the border of France and Belgium where Marshall Foch had his headquarters during the First world war, and neither had I until last week when I was invited to see a new exhibition on Gaspar de Crayer, 1584-1669, a follower of Rubens and Van Dick, who was famous until the 19 th … Read More
Château d’Eu, a beautiful royal decor
I had been wanting to visit Eu, a little town in Northern Normandy, where the castle hosted the d’Orléans family and lately the Comtesse de Paris and Les Amis du Musée Condé in Chantilly easily convinced me to join them. Partly restored by Duc d’Aumale, the wonderful collector and owner of Chantilly, it belonged to the Brazilian branch of Orléans … Read More