At Palais de Chaillot’s Cité de l’Architecture, a very specialized exhibition “Art Déco, France and Northern America” studies the architectural and artistic relationships between the 1890’s and 1930’s. It starts with Pierre Charles L’Enfant‘s plan for Washington D.C. commissioned by George Washington in 1891, and the tribute paid to “The adopted French architect” by an elegant table on baluster legs created … Read More
At MAD, the 1980’s reign
Former minister of culture Jack Lang was visiting the exhibition with a following of admirers and I am glad I started the visit in reverse, escaping all the politics of the Mitterrand years which are the prologue to the show. Instead, I immediately ran into the heart of the subject, the craziness in design, fashion and advertising of the 1980’s … Read More
The Pantheon has become the “it” place!
Like most Parisians, I never go to the Pantheon, but Ann Veronica Janssens‘s project (until October 30) enticed me to return at a time, in mid August, when Paris’ museums are folding all their exhibitions. And it was a great experience. Three thousand visitors enter the Pantheon every day in the summer and to see children running around, young couples … Read More
At Bibliothèque Nationale, XIX th century explorers and Champollion make us dream
What can be more exciting than to follow the adventures of 19 th century explorers in Darfour and Ouadaï, Tibet, the Amazon or Sénégal with their guides, wifes, helpers? Thanks to the 200 th anniversary of Société de Géographie founded on December 15, 1821, whose archives are kept at Bibliothèque Nationale, BnF has organized a beautiful exhibition of two hundreds … Read More
Yes he made it! and lily of the valley is out early
Thank God for lilac and lily of the valley coming out on Sunday. I was so nervous about the outcome of the elections (followed by 1400 journalists) which I feared could be a terrible surprise like Brexit, that I spent the day picking flowers. The date was bad because in the middle of the Spring vacations and the atmosphere so … Read More
Romanticism is there, but unevenly
Just when Musée de la Vie romantique is opening a new (dreary) exhibition “Héroïnes Romantiques” (Romantic heroines until September 4), we learn that Musée des Beaux Arts d’Orléans has acquired at auction in Munich, Marie d’Orléans’ portrait by Ary Scheffer (1839), which had remained in her son’s Philippe de Wurtemberg’s family ever since. And at Galerie La Nouvelle Athènes, the opening of … 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
“The Chiffon Trenches”, a fashion testimony with wit from André Leon Talley
Arthur Elgort photographs André Leon Talley “My mother loved clothes, though I am not sure she ever fully loved me” says André Leon Talley halfway through his amazing book “The Chiffon Trenches”, the history of the fashion world between Andy Warhol’s “Interview” magazine and today’s “Vogue”. This well known figure of the first rows of fashion shows, was African American … Read More