The occasion was the wedding reception for Serena Cattaneo Adorno with Thomas Repelski and I would not have missed this long coveted visit to Genoa for anything! On the 75 mn flight from Paris, guests to the wedding conversed with Cecilia (formerly) Sarkozy, who was visiting the shipyards with her husband Richard Attias and young art collectors who wanted to … Read More
Christo reigns over Brussels
It was definitely worth going to Brussels especially for the opening of the exhibition, « Christo and Jeanne Claude, Urban Projects » at ING Art Center, on Place Royale. Only lenders were invited to this preview of 😯 drawings and models by one of the most original American artists, who finances each project with the sale of his preparatory drawings. The idea came … Read More
Hubert Robert is back at la Roche Guyon
There is magic in art history and when American garden historian Gabriel Wick started working on La Roche Guyon‘s English gardens, he probably did not know he would later expose XVIII th century painter Hubert Robert’s genius at painting and conceiving parks and gardens. The exhibition « Hubert Robert et la Fabrique des jardins » takes place at château de La Roche Guyon … Read More
Maria Callas, celebrated everywhere
It’s been 40 years since she left us, and Maria Callas has remained in our hearts and on our minds ever since as the greatest opera voice and actress of the second half of the 20 th century. Yet I was surprised to have dinner with a young French diplomat last week who had never heard of her ! So the … Read More
A new hotel and bar for the young and trendy
I was overly excited to go to the new Hoxton Hotel for lunch and brought with me an architect and a shrewd journalist so we could all give our opinion. Four years in the making, the old courtyards and different buildings of rue du Sentier, opposite where Madame du Barry used to live, have become a 172 rooms hotel set … Read More
Transatlantic travels at the Peabody Essex museum in Salem
My first visit, when I am in Marblehead in the summer, is always to the Peabody Essex Museum, in Salem, Ma. Founded in 1799 by sea captains who wanted to preserve their discoveries from Cape Horn and other exotic Asian and African countries, it was enriched by local merchants and moved into its own building in 1825. George Peabody, one … Read More
In Tours, Oliver Debré is celebrated
I met painter Olivier Debré in the 1980’s when he was teaching at the Paris Beaux Arts school and was exhibited at Daniel Templon gallery. Henry Racamier, then President of Louis Vuitton, had commissioned a stage curtain for the Hong Kong Opera from him. And he was always the sweetest and an incredibly modest artist. Since his family lives near Tours, … Read More
A beautiful dinner at Le Crillon
When my friends Caroline and Olivier asked where I would like to have dinner on this mild August evening, I told them I was dying to try the new restaurant at Hôtel de Crillon which has been closed for four years for restoration. With its 124 rooms and suites and remodeling of the 18 th century building by Gabriel, the … Read More