I was wandering around the Institut du Monde Arabe which advertises its Simbad exhibition extensively and I felt a little disppointed by the « seafaring adventurers ». There are a few good pieces of furniture in wood and mother of pearl from Goa, and some nice models of boats from the red Sea, a XV th century glass pearls necklace … Read More
Culturaliv.com, a new International exhibitions webguide
Timothy Heckscher is a smart 34 year old financier turned start-up founder. His new website culturaliv.com is the easiest and most International cultural tool I have found recently : if you are planning a trip to Amsterdam or London, just search by destination and it will tell you everything you can see in museums in one click. With pictures and … Read More
Ar Marmottan, three giants, Hodler, Munch and Monet
They were born ten and twenty years apart, never met, but painted many themes in common : the Swiss Hodler (1853-1918) whom I revere, the French Monet (1840-1926), whose museum we are in and the Norwegian Munch (1863-1944) best known for his “Shout”. An extraordinary exhibition at musée Marmottan Monet, unites these three giants of landscape painting on the … Read More
Palmyra, Khorsabad, Damascus Mosque remembered
For three weeks (until January 9), two large rooms of Grand Palais are devoted to Syrian and Iraki monuments which were partly or totally destroyed by Daech. Called « Eternal sites from Bamiyan to Palmyra », the exhibition shows films and photographs of these beautiful spots, including Krak des Chevaliers and the Damascus mosque.
Hélène Tran, a discrete artist
When two brilliant art lovers unite their efforts, the result is magical. Hélène Tran is the most talented caricaturist and drawer I have ever met. She used to work for French Vogue and Vanity Fair, toured around the world with Jean Louis Dumas, then President of Hermès, created fabrics for Yohji Yamamoto, designed the Seattle Nordstrom window. She now publishes … Read More
Paris churches, a permanent discovery
I had never walked into the Polish church, as Notre Dame de l’Assomption on rue Cambon, is commonly called by Parisians, even though it is ten minutes from my house. Typical !
Cy Twombly, fireworks at Pompidou center
Walking into the first room of the Cy Twombly exhibition at Pompidou center was like entering a sacred temple. The emotion was immense and the pleasure doubled by the presence of many knowledgeable curators who talked brilliantly about his work. This retrospective of 140 paintings, photographs and sculptures was curated by Jonas Storsve and made possible by the Cy Twombly … Read More
Yohouré art at Barbier Mueller Museum in Geneva
Founded in 1977 in the old town of Geneva, Musée Barbier Mueller houses one of the leading collections of African art in the world. The new show on Yohouré sculpture is the occasion to publish a book based on 46 years of studies of this Ivory coast tribe by Alain-Michel Boyer.