“There never was in France such a display of magnificence and “courtliness” as during the last years of the reign of Henri II” writes Madame de Lafayette in her historical novel La Princesse de Clèves. This is one of the reasons to go and see the new show “L’Art de la fête à la cour des Valois” (Festivities at the court … Read More
At Musée Guimet, every floor has a show
On the top floor of Musée d’Art asiatique, Mnaag, which you access by the elevator and a few more steps, Chiharu Shiota, the Japanese artist, has stretched her red threads across the rotunda. Like many other artists, she has worked during the last two years on the importance of one’s home and the domestic space. Below, in the Japanese galleries … Read More
So many things to do in Paris and so little time…
Hofesh Shechter, OBE, the Israeli choreographer whose mother is Ukrainian, had a spectacular première at Opéra Garnier for “Uprising” and “In Your Rooms”, two vibrant ballets created at The Place and Sadler’s Wells in London more than fifteen years ago. They are now both part of the Repertoire of the Paris Opera. Sophie Calle attracted the contemporary art world at … Read More
In Evian, “Bébé” Bérard revives grand old times
My taxi driver in Evian, Nicolas Fleury, who is on the American football team, holder of the French national title, had never heard of Christian Bérard even though large adds promoting the new exhibition are all over town. But this energetic man, who was raised in the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, could not stop talking about what a wonderful town … Read More
At IMA, Jews from the Orient and Raymond Depardon’s photographs
Institut du Monde Arabe always has nice surprises for us and the exhibition “Juifs d’Orient” puts a light on the eternal coexistence of Jews and Muslims in most of the Mediterranean countries. It covers twenty six centuries with 280 objects from Syria, Yemen, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and a large section on North Africa where the French had strong interests until … Read More
Geneva is taken over by storm, with Jean Hubert Martin…
Geneva is well known for its calm and orderly Swiss manners and its Musée d’Art and Histoire, located on top of the old city, is a municipal museum which few tourists take the time to visit. Art historian and curator Jean Hubert Martin was invited by the Director of MAH, Marc Olivier Wahler, to choose anything he liked in the … Read More
At the Yves Saint Laurent marathon, MAM is the winner
On Friday, I walked 12 kms and took four metros and one bus to achieve the marathon for the five openings of the “Yves Saint Laurent aux Musées” exhibitions. I started at Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, then took the bus to Musée d’Orsay, walked over to the Louvre, then down to Musée Picasso and walked to … Read More
Venitian slippers with an Uzbek twist
One of the good surprises of Christmas was a pair of fancy Venitian slippers made with Uzbek fabric by Capulette. Mine are pink and green but hey come in multiple colors, in cotton or velvet and are the original Friulane shoes worn by gondoliers with a gum sole. They were designed by the very pretty Capucine Lebrun, the owner of … Read More