Photographer Claire de Virieu has accustomed us to beautiful garden photographs covered with snow or shot at the height of summer like those in the book “Majorelle” published with Pierre Bergé. After travelling to Japan in 2011, she has brought back a series of photos of the sacred city of Nara, which are unlike anything she has done before. They … Read More
Mountain photographs in Lausanne
Where else but in Lausanne could an exhibition of mountain photographs could take place and be beautiful ? The Musée de l’Elysée, run with a firm and creative hand by Tatyana Franck, shows 300 prints selected from its collection of 4 000, on a very Swiss theme, mountains.
Bardejov’s past revisited
What Yuri Dojc, the photographer, and Katya Krausova, the cinematographer, have in common, is to have both left Czechoslovakia in 1968 when Russian tanks invaded Prague. They met when revisiting their Jewish past in Slovakia and, between 2006 and 2013, they followed, each with a camera, the few surviving Jews who had come back from Auschwitz. This « Last Folio », … Read More
Turmoil in London’s museums
The Victoria and Albert museum is a permanent showcase of exhuberance and diversity and I was once again happily surprised by the three shows I saw last week end in London. Not only has the 19 th century decorative arts museum hired a new director, the 42 year old historian Tristram Hunt, who, angry at Brexit, left his labour … Read More
Henri Cartier Bresson strikes again
“Images à la sauvette”, or “The Decisive Moment”, as it is known in the United States, is a book published in October 1952 by Simon and Schuster, which changed the course of Henri Cartier Bresson‘s life and dramatically influenced the art world. Henri Matisse designed the cover two years before he died, Teriade, the French publisher edited the book. The … Read More
Bear stories at Museum d’histoire naturelle
Going to Jardin des Plantes is always a beautiful experience, especially during school vacations when myriads of children babble away in the alleys. Created in 1635 by Louis XIII th’s doctor, Guy de la Brosse, it was a Royal medicinal garden to start with. It was developed in the 17 th century as an ornemental garden and still has lovely … Read More
Biskra, a forgotten oasis in Algeria
I was wandering around the Institut du Monde Arabe which advertises its Simbad exhibition extensively and I felt a little disppointed by the « seafaring adventurers ». There are a few good pieces of furniture in wood and mother of pearl from Goa, and some nice models of boats from the red Sea, a XV th century glass pearls necklace … Read More
Cy Twombly, fireworks at Pompidou center
Walking into the first room of the Cy Twombly exhibition at Pompidou center was like entering a sacred temple. The emotion was immense and the pleasure doubled by the presence of many knowledgeable curators who talked brilliantly about his work. This retrospective of 140 paintings, photographs and sculptures was curated by Jonas Storsve and made possible by the Cy Twombly … Read More