Benita Kusel is a painter of decors… She does marble, wood, slate, but mostly frescos on paper with shells, flowers, vegetable and can paint on anything including radiators to hide or ugly chests. For a wedding in Belgium, she painted silk vests, tablecloths in Italy, for a country house she devises a decor of deers and willow trees and with … Read More
A l’étoile d’Or, a wonderful vestige of the past
Denise Acabo has been running “A l’Etoile d’Or”, the most exquisite chocolate shop for almost fifty years, on rue Pierre Fontaine, in the trendy 9 th arrondissement. With her long blond braids, she looks more like Bécassine than like a business woman and it is very charming. She is proud of her Italian ancestors, and mostly of the diversity of … Read More
Enchanting views, let’s dream a bit!
I had my ticket to fly to Corsica and was so excited to see spring in this part of the country, which is always too hot in the summer for excursions and climbing. So, after we were locked down again in Paris, my host sent me these tempting pictures from his house perched on a mountain near Ajaccio which can … Read More
Easter is chocolate time!
Sales of chocolate are so important for Easter in France that chocolate shops have been called “essential shops” like hairdressers and bookstores in the new lockdown law. I just read in Guide Lebey‘s newsletter, the guide of food and drinks which is sent out on Fridays, about a young chocolate creator, L’Instant Cacao at 3 rue des Petits Champs. The … Read More
David Nash is in great shape at Lelong & Co
With “The Many Voices of the Trees”, a new exhibition at Galerie Lelong & Co, David Nash proves once again what a brilliant sculptor he is. He shows an oak column, a walnut frame, a part-charred sequoia, an elm frame, a spalted beech, a charred sycamore, a maple wave, a walnut egg… but also drawings on paper and three sculptures … Read More
New habits, new pleasures and lots to read.
Everything has changed in our lives in the last year and one positive detail is that we have more time to read. This week I enjoyed reading at last, Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian’s biography of Tiger Woods and I was surprised at how excellent it is, even for non golfers. The golf champion was in an accident two weeks … Read More
Empreintes celebrates craftworkers in the Marais
As you know, I love spending a few hours wandering in the Marais and visiting the galleries I know but also discovering new shops every time. I ventured into Empreintes a design space located at 5 rue de Picardie, which opened a few years ago. On the ground floor little presents, earrings, ceramics, seem pleasant enough but nothing extra-ordinary. Once … Read More
Young artists show at l’Institut de France
Pavillon Comtesse de Caen is this little gallery within the Institut de France (Académie Française) on the right side of the building. It often has charming exhibitions of laureates or memorable ers of teh Academy, which are free and at the moment (until March 21), eleven alumni from the prestigious French Academy in Madrid (Casa de Velazquez), show their work … Read More