Since it formally reopened last year, Musée du Verre François Décorchemont has received a number of glass collections and this month, it celebrates Jean and Dominique Vitrat’s donation, which resurrects a forgotten glass manufacturer François-Théodore Legras (1839-1916), a competitor of Gallé, Lalique, Baccarat and Daum. The 1880’s, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods are represented by 150 objects and … Read More
Mexico is definitely a creative country
The last time I reported on the Mexican cultural center in Paris was on Eduardo Zamora‘s exhibition last February. And very sadly, the magical painter died a week after his show closed, at 81, from heart failure. I regret not having visited his studio in the 13 th arrondissement, which he invited me to do. He was extremely charming and … Read More
Don’t miss this month…
With the beautiful weather and nature finally waking up, here are a few ideas for you to wander outside of Paris. The usual beautiful spots like Parc de Bagatelle, in Bois de Boulogne and Giverny’s Monet gardens (where Hugues Gall has been reelected director), are of course a must if you have never been. But I discovered recently the Parc … Read More
In Le Havre, Marquet is staged at Musée André Malraux
Going to Normandy implies for me a visit to Musée André Malraux in le Havre, a little jewel built on the water with perfect proportions and a steady collection of Boudin, Dufy and other Impressionists. As Edouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre, writes in his introduction to the catalog, “Guillaume Apollinaire describes Albert Marquet (1875-1947) as someone who watches nature with … Read More
Alfred Courmes is a revelation at Centre Niemeyer
I had never heard of painter Alfred Courmes, 1898-1993, and it’s only because a friend asked me to go with him to the Parti Communiste Français’s beautiful monument designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer that I went. And it was a true adventure but a very successful one. Born in Bormes-les-Mimosas, the son of a naval officer, he studied in Monaco before … Read More
Jeanne Malivel, a Bretonne who knew how to paint
An American friend, who knows everything happening in Art Deco in Paris, mentioned this exhibition of paintings and furniture by Jeanne Malivel, 1895-1926, at Bibliothèque Forney and of course I rushed… She probably would have remained in the reserves if she had not been a woman, who died at 31, and a Bretonne on top of it. Mostly self taught … Read More
La Chapelle Expiatoire celebrates Louis XVI th’s surviving daughter
La Chapelle Expiatoire is a discreet little chapel built by Louis XVIII in 1815, on the former Madeleine Cemetery, in memory of his brother Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who were buried there after their heads were chopped off on place de la Concorde. Their bodies were then transported to the St Denis basilica and the monument finished under Charles X’s … Read More
Kimsooja breathes in sunshine at Galeries Lafayette
If you feel like going to Galeries Lafayette to discover Korean artist Kimsooja’s installation “To Breathe“, pick a sunny day. Otherwise her light installation will not glitter as it should on the dome of the department store built in 1912. The great bonus of the visit is that for three months the public is allowed to penetrate the space between … Read More