Japonism and Impressionisms in etchings and peonies

parisdiaArt, Flowers and gardens

When I went to Giverny on my yearly Spring visit, I had the surprise of seeing new tall peonies given by the director of the Yuushien Japanese garden of Shimane province. A ceremony  celebrating 160 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries took place in Monet’s garden with Hugues Gall and Ambassador Masato Klitera planting the flowers the same … Read More

A summer opera festival at Baugé

parisdiaFlowers and gardens, Performing artsLeave a Comment

Priscilla de Moustier has a beautiful salon in the Faubourg Saint Germain and she is generous enough to let young musicians use it. It was a lovely evening that she organized to announce this year’s festival of opera in Baugé, a little village between Le Mans and Saumur, where opera fans Bernadette and John Grimmett, have created sixteen years ago, … Read More

The Qajar dynasty in Iran, more than just warriors

parisdiaArchitecture, Art, Books, Fashion, Flowers and gardens, Photography1 Comment

The new exhibition at Louvre Lens, “The Rose Empire” is devoted to the Qajar dynasty, who reigned over Persia from 1786 to 1925, when Reza Khan Pahlavi took over. Four hundred pieces came from 35 French institutions and private collections and twelve countries to describe the world of this family, whose descendants now mostly live in Europe and the United … Read More

Juliette Polac celebrates spring with jewelry

parisdiaFashion, Flowers and gardens2 Comments

“L’ivresse du Printemps” is a pretty title for a jewelry exhibition and when I met Juliette Polac, the talented designer who has been showing at Naïla de Montbrison‘s gallery forever, I immediately felt happy. She and her daughter Angela Fabre, an actress, discovered the show with me on the morning of the opening. And they were very excited and charming. 

Hubert Robert is back at la Roche Guyon

parisdiaArchitecture, Art, Flowers and gardens2 Comments

There is magic in art history and when American garden historian Gabriel Wick started working on La Roche Guyon‘s English gardens, he probably did not know he would later expose XVIII th century painter Hubert Robert’s genius at painting and conceiving parks and gardens. The exhibition « Hubert Robert et la Fabrique des jardins » takes place at château de La Roche Guyon … Read More

Mount Stewart gardens under beautiful sun

parisdiaArt, Flowers and gardens3 Comments

We were blessed at Mount Stewart, Northern Ireland, where the beautiful garden and house of Lord Londonderry confirmed its reputation of a micro climate. It was sunny during the three hours we spent there and only started pouring when we were at the other end of the lake, admiring the gigantic rhododendrons and gunerreas.