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
Last chance to see “Fukami” at Hotel Salomon de Rothschild
The show discreetly opened on Bastille day and is closing on August 21! Fukami, “a plunge into Japanese aesthetics” could not have been more discreet and I heard about it on France Culture radio one morning. If you miss it, don’t worry, but if you are in Paris you’ll notice that while all the streets are empty, the beautiful Hôtel … Read More
Two museums in Cornwall, one is trendy, the other delightful
I have been going to Land’s End in West Cornwall for twenty years and I discover new delights every time. This year, I rushed to visit the new addition to the Tate gallery St Ives and see the late Patrick Heron exhibition but what really charmed my heart was the show of S.J. Lamorna Birch’ Cornish paintings at the Penlee House in … 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
In Orléans, a museum’s serious facelift!
I have passed the town of Orléans a million times on my way to the West but I have to admit, I never stopped. It’s only when seeing large ads in the Paris metro on the new lifting of Musée des Beaux Arts d’Orléans that I had the idea of driving there one morning. And this was the most exhilarating … Read More
Summer treats in Paris
Paris can become pretty dreary in August when everything closes down but there are also special summer treats to be found. I went to the “Palazzo“, the terrace in front of Palais de la Porte dorée which features a great exhibition of photographs of gipsies (until August 26) and on Wednesday nights you get a free drink and a guided tour … Read More
Pastels at the Louvre, a Royal wall!
Pastels are an extraordinary medium, fragile and subtle and for this reason, the exhibition at the Louvre, “En société, pastels from the Louvre” is a small miracle. A hundred and twenty pieces from the collections of the museum are exhibited in the Sully aisle and one almost feels dizzy from seeing so many portraits together. They all date from the … 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