It is once again an extraordinary exhibit which takes place at Fondation Custodia, rue de Lille. The house has a soul thanks to its director Ger Luijten, who welcomes you as if you were his private guest. And the themes of exhibitions are always completely original. This time, he welcomes a show of “Frans Hals family portraits“, which was initiated … Read More
Photographer Dora Maar invades Centre Pompidou
Centre Pompidou owns the largest collection (1 900 negatives) of photographs by French artist Dora Maar (1907-1997) and this very comprehensive retrospective of 400 works is interesting historically, but I have to admit that the best part of the show for me, was the series of portraits that Picasso and she devoted to each other. From fashion photographer in the … Read More
Kehinde Wiley travels to Tahiti
I discovered American painter Kehinde Wiley at the Petit Palais three years ago. He already had many works in American museums and would be, in 2018, the first African American painter to be asked to do a portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, that of President Barack Obama. Galerie Templon is devoting its splendid spaces of rue du Grenier … Read More
La Joconde, naked, at Chantilly
Don’t get irritated by the title “La Joconde Nue”, given to the new and superb exhibition at the Jeu de Paume of Château de Chantilly, and run to see these multiple images of Mona Lisa, whose body is definitely masculine with artificial breasts and an enigmatic face. Leonardo da Vinci was in love with his (male) assistant and the large drawing … Read More
Villa Datris, a fun summer destination in Provence
Danièle Kapel Marcovici is a successful business woman who has turned her parents’ small wrapping company Raja into the largest group in Europe. She founded the Raja foundation for women’s rights and has recently developed an art space for sculpture in l’Isle sur la Sorgue, near Avignon, where she spends the summer. Villa Datris is open till November and shows … Read More
Two exceptional shows bring Romanticism to Petit Palais
Once again, an exhibition opens at Petit Palais and the surprise is overwhelming in quality and originality. “Romantic Paris, 1815-1848” comprises all the arts of the beginning of the 19th century thanks to the clever Christopher Leribault who convinced his colleagues from Musées Galliera, Carnavalet, Arts décoratifs and de la Vie Romantique, to lend exceptional treasures. It is a panorama … Read More
A biennale of architecture in Versailles
Bap, Biennale of architecture and landscape of Ile de France, is new born and some aspects of it are interesting. It gave me the occasion of seeing the gallery of sculptures and moulages from the Louvre which is rarely open, in the Petite Ecurie (small stable) and to walk around the Potager du Roi, where the Ecole du Paysage trains … Read More
Revelations, Fine craft and creativity at Grand Palais
What pleased me at first was to hear Italian, Chinese, Italian, English and Spanish being spoken in the alleys. This new edition of “Revelations“, the fourth arts and craft biennale, is definitely International and artists, craftsmen, industrials mix happily under the beautiful decor of the Grand Palais. Here are the discoveries I made among ceramists, leather and rope weavers, wood … Read More