Shamanic visions and contemporary Peruvian art at Musée du quai Branly

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I wasn’t particularly interested in “Shamanic visions” but I trust Musée du quai Branly for always having original shows. Kehinde Wiley‘s portraits of African rulers is one of the good surprises of the moment (until January 14).  So I went to the opening of this Peruvian exhibition and was happily surprised. Part of it is really a show of contemporary … Read More

At Petit Palais, Modernity is the theme

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This is the third part of a trilogy started by Christophe Leribault at Petit Palais with “Paris Romantique ” in 2019 and “Paris 1900”, in 2021. “Le Paris de la Modernité, 1905-1925” is a multifaceted show starting with Montmartre and Montparnasse, the beginnings of automobile and aviation, Paul Poiret and Jeanne Lanvin’s fashion, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and the … Read More

Jean Michel Othoniel and Villa Dufraine produce marvels

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Usually when you are invited to see the works of students in residence you find one out of 10 which is interesting and have to force yourself … This time the divine surprise at the exhibition “Bonsoir Mémoire” is that most of the 10 young artists were fascinating and the whole exhibition at la Monnaie de Paris is intriguing, dynamic … Read More

Double bill in Lille, Women artists and Jef Aerosol!

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Lille is an easy destination, an hour on the train from Paris, and it’s another world in itself. The Palais des Beaux Arts has the greatest collection of Rubens and Goya and I discovered for the first time the Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse, a former medieval hospital, where the great street artist Jef Aerosol has a retrospective. I did not … Read More

André Ostier on Avenue Matignon, and more…

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  Avenue Matignon has never  been so busy as this week with an exceptionally well attended Paris Photo fair taking place at Grand Palais éphémère on the Champ de Mars and all the galleries looking at their best. At Jaques Lacoste, who specializes in furniture and decorative arts of the XX th century, the first major exhibition of André Ostier‘s … Read More

Villers Cotterêts, the new citadel of the French language, is open

parisdiaArchitecture, Art, Books, History, Technique3 Comments

I was totally excited to finally get to Villers Cotterêts after a series of mini disasters (the opening visit was cancelled) and an hour and a quarter of driving from Paris. The small town of 10 000 inhabitants,  is pretty dreary and the castle which houses the new Cité Internationale de la Langue française stands out like a meringue among … Read More

The Patrimoine culturel is a big French issue

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There were newcomers and the old traditional attendants at the Salon du Patrimoine culturel in the Carrousel du Louvre and it is always amazing to find unique specialists of French art de vivre who cater mostly to historical places. They are not all geared at the restoration of castles and churches but the 300 participants all use exceptional materials and … Read More