Due to the Olympics, which will bar access to place de la Concorde and part of the Tuileries gardens all summer, the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume has to close down on May 12. So if you have not been yet, make sure to see the fabulous Tina Modotti exhibition and Bertille Bak (b.1983) “Out of Breath” who plays … Read More
Bonnard, the film and more happy artistic times!
Given the current pessimistic atmosphere, I will continue to give you only happy news. The film “Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe” by Martin Provost, will not remain in the history of cinematography but it depicts with beautiful decors the tortuous life of the painter and his difficult companion Marthe. Both Musée d’Orsay and Christie’s organized previews of the film. Some scenes … Read More
Indian architect Bijoy Jain at Fondation Cartier and on film
I have to admit I had never hear of Indian architect Bijoy Jahin, b. 1965 in Mumbai, who studied at Washington University in Saint Louis and practiced in L.A. between 1989 and 1995 at Richard Meier‘s model workshop, making models for the Getty Museum. He returned to India in 1995 after a stint in London and created Studio Mumbai, a … Read More
“Testament”, another hilarious movie from Québec.
I am a fan of Denys Arcand’ hilarious parodies of contemporary life and this time, “Testament” is devoted to destroying wokism which of course is a battle I love. It might be his last film, he says, and so it is another reason to rush and see it. The main character, a 70 year old retired archivist, dressed in a … Read More
Marguerite’s Theorem, what a delightful film!
“The world of mathematics -and by implication that of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, or ENS – has rarely been shown in films, and even less so with a mathematician heroine. My meeting with Ariane Mézard, one of the few and greatest French female mathematicians, was decisive. She radiates an impressive strength contained in a great deal of vulnerability, an obvious … Read More
A Lebanese writer leads the French Academy, tapestries at auction, Irving Penn photographs and more…
When the Perpetual secretary of the French Academy, Hélène Carrère d’Encausse, died on August 5, at 94, the institution which is in charge of writing the dictionary and defending our language, was suddenly abandoned. This amazing woman, born in France, from parents who had emigrated to France, after the Russian Revolution, became one of the foremost Historians in France: she … Read More
“Coup de Chance” in Paris, in French, by Woody Allen
Coup de Chance, “Stroke of Luck” or “Lucky Strike” is Woody Allen’s 50 th film, entirely in French, shot with French actors in Paris and in the forest of Montmorency. Lou de Laâge, 33, replaces Léa Seydoux who played in “Midnight in Paris”. It is like in “Match Point”, the story of a lucky encounter which turns out to become … Read More
A film “The Anatomy of a fall” and paintings by Xavier Valls, there is so much to love
I went to see “Anatomy of a Fall” because it had won the Palme d’Or in Cannes last May, and I thought I would dislike it intensely. Its director and screen writer Justine Triet disgraced herself with her political speech attacking the French Government on its retirement law after having received all the financial help that French cinema distributes. Everyone … Read More