There are few things more exciting than walking into Grand Palais at ten A.M. and seeing a whole range of 300 maitres d’art. And I was surprised at the number of craftsmen I discovered within two hours. This new art fair « Revelations », started two years ago by Henri Jobbé-Duval, was incredibly successful this year and here are the … Read More
Anne and Patrick Poirier, the dark visionaries
The first time I was confronted to Anne and Patrick Poirier’s Mediterranean ruins, was at the French consulate in New York in 1978. André Gadaud, the then French Consul General, had commissioned from Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, a fabulous porcelain centerpiece “Ruines d’Egypte”, which represented Greek columns heightened with gold. I have since seen it again and felt the same … Read More
François 1er comes to Chantilly
What better way to celebrate your 21st birthday than to win a battle which will make you famous for the rest of your life ? This is what François 1er, brand new king of France, did on September 13 th and 14 th (his birthday was on the 12th) 1515, in Marignano, near Milan. This is the only date that … Read More
Stained-glass windows as contemporary art
Second world war had one positive effect on French art : most stained-glass windows in French cathedrals were destroyed and thus as early as 1957, new windows were commissioned from famous French artists. Chagall, Bissière, Villon, Alberola, Rouan, Soulages, Garouste… all worked to restore or create over 2 000 new churches.
Louvre Lens, three years later
When in December 2012, the Louvre museum opened a satellite in Lens, a mine workers town, 90 mns North of Paris, the International community raved about the SANAA flat silver building. In the snow and with grey skies, the effect was fabulous and mysterious. Inside, the Grande Galerie -which shows over 120 meters, works ranging from the Egyptians to 19 … Read More
Fondation Bemberg, a hidden gem in Toulouse
It is rare to fall in love so fast with an art collection as I have in Toulouse this week. I had wanted to visit Fondation Bemberg for a long time and four years after the death of its genius creator, Georges Bemberg, I was invited by its new president, Art historian and gallerist Guillermo de Osma, to tour this … Read More
Land Art in Utah
It all started with the desire of seeing Robert Smithson’s ” Spiral Jetty” on the Great Salt Lake, in Utah. This land art work is one of the “culture vulture’s” obligatory stops like Marfa, Texas or Naoshima island in Japan. So my architect friend Brigid and I, decided to spend some time in Salt Lake city and find out more … Read More
Flying through the New Whitney
Walking along the birch trees of the High Line from 14 th street at 10 am is very gratifying. The heat was such in the City on that summer morning, that everyone was looking for the shade side of the sidewalks and the coolness of the trees. The beauty of the benches, artwork and wooden floors of the High Line … Read More