When Mathieu Deldicque mentioned that he had borrowed an ink portrait of a lady from Musée Vivenel for his major Dürer exhibition at Chantilly (opening on June 4), I became intrigued. Who was this Antoine Vivenel (1799-1862)? So I went with my friend expert of the city of Compiègne, Garance Aufaure, and I found amazing treasures in this municipal museum, … Read More
Couture photography, a Franco Greek wedding, golf and art in Provence
I was lured to Provence by a series of beautiful events, Jean Luce Huré‘s exhibition of fashion photography in Bargemon and a glorious Greek orthodox wedding in Grimaud. Both were very successful and charming and there was much more to be expected. A great golf game at Beauvallon with the young pro Benjamin Reinarz and the visit of Château La … Read More
Victor Prouvé, the father of… in Issy-les-Moulineaux
Most of us know Jean Prouvé‘s work as a furniture designer and an architect who revolutionized low income housing in France between the wars. This new exhibition at Musée de la Carte à Jouer (the museum of playing cards) in Issy-les-Moulineaux is about his father’s work, Victor Prouvé, 1858-1943, who started as Emile Gallé‘s accomplice in designing vases and became … Read More
Drawing Now, Paris Print Fair, Menart, we don’t have enough eyes to catch everything…
While Drawing Now, the contemporary drawing fair, is always full of wonderful discoveries at Carreau du Temple, the new Paris Print Fair was also of high quality at Réfectoire du Couvent des Cordeliers but Menart (Middle East and North Africa Fair) was disappointing at Maison Cornette de Saint Cyr. It gave galleries from abroad and from the French provinces an … Read More
Salon du Dessin, MAD’s new Prud’hon, what a festival of great discoveries
Salon du Dessin is always a glamorous gathering of American, British, German and Italian collectors who meet in the small space of La Bourse and gossip about the International Drawing market. I loved running into Hervé Aaron and Alan Salz who came from New York and were showing four gouaches of Pavillon de Bagatelle, by Louis Bélanger and Louis-Gabriel Moreau, … Read More
Jesper Christiansen at Maison du Danemark
Most Parisians only know Maison du Danemark at the top of the Champs Elysées for its fabulous restaurant where aquavit and “unilaterally cooke” salmon are the prime attraction. But if you go up to the second floor, you will find a pretty art gallery which regularly shows Danish artists. This time and until July 31, Jesper Christiansen exhibits his landscapes … Read More
Chantilly and Compiègne, two reasons to drive north
Les Journées des Plantes de Chantilly were sunny and very relaxed this spring and a few new exhibitors attended, whom I loved. Prince Amin Aga Khan, the faithful garden lover, presented the Jurys and Alain Baraton, Head Gardner of Versailles, awarded the different prizes with a good sense of humor. Hélène Fustier who founded Les Journées des Plantes in Courson … Read More
Guy Ladrière, a very special collector…
Guy Ladrière is an established antique dealer on quai Voltaire, facing the Louvre. He started his career with Charles Ratton (1895-1986), a specialist of primitive arts, who organized the major 1930 exhibition of African and Oceanic art at the Pigalle theatre. He learned from him the sense of aesthetics of objects. His passion for research and his fantastic eye have … Read More