The Fondation pour la Vocation, founded by the advertising genius Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet in December 1959, gives a financial impulse to students, 18 to 30, who want to achieve their professional dream. So far, 1 748 laureates have been awarded this scholarship thanks to the creator of Publicis. Every year, 20 prizes are given for a “vocation”, four to eight “hope” … Read More
What I am going to offer for Xmas?
Every year it’s the same dilemma, you give presents whom nobody likes and you receive some that you immediately want to give away. I have selected a few modest ideas that might help? My favorite shop being Fragonard for soaps and fragrances but also tablecloths and plates or candleholders. Then comes La Chaise Longue which has fun little items like … Read More
Brittany is still a winner, especially in the heat!
In the summer, I love to take my little car and drive west with a few friends to visit. This year I went to château de Lassay, in Mayenne, with Hugues de Montalembert whose young cousins still inhabit this mid 15 th century military castle. Aymeri, Cecilia and their three super talented children (two girls are classicists at Ecole Normale … Read More
On the Seine with Batobus, a thrilling experience!
I had to celebrate my godson’s thirteenth birthday and besides taking him to Hotel de la Marine in the gilded galleries overlooking Place de la Concorde, I thought of wandering around the Seine on a Batobus and it was a wonderful little adventure. We started in front of Musée d’Orsay but could of gone from the Tour Eiffel at 10 … Read More
In Aix en Provence, museums compete with opera
The Opera festival in Aix en Provence was founded 75 years ago by Gabriel Dussurget and Lily Pastré, his mécène. It is now run by Pierre Audi, an opera director who ran the Almeida theater in London in the 1980’s, and Julien Benhamou its artistic director. Like for the first edition in 1948, a Cosi fan Tutte was programmed this … Read More
Happy Easter to all of you
Don’t forget that next Sunday is Easter and in France we hide chocolates all around the house or in the garden for children to go on an egg hunt. Every pastry shop has chocolate eggs or hens, but some are prettier than others.
Rupert Shrive walks to Tours with his Balzac
Natasha Fraser Cavassoni was celebrating her birthday near the Buttes Chaumont and I was lucky to sit next to an eccentric English artist Rupert Shrive who was born in Norfolk but settled in Paris many years ago. He was commissioned to make a large head of Balzac for the Paris Balzac museum and decided to move it from his studio … Read More
In Senlis, love conversation is the topic at musée de la Chasse.
At a time when deer hunting is particularly criticized by environmental activists, two charming events took place this week which immediately result from this noble sports. A wonderful mass and concert at Eglise de la Trinité was celebrated on January 29 th, with over fifty “sonneurs” French horn players led by Nicolas Dromer and Eric Petit, taking turns with the organist … Read More