Comte Ory sings at Opéra Comique and in Versailles

parisdiaPerforming arts

Comte Ory disguised as a hermit seduces the crowds, photo, Vincent Pontet

With this new production of “Comte Ory” by Gioachino Rossini, Théâtre National de l’Opéra comique proves that, after one year post-renovations, it has found its marks with its director Olivier Mantei. The work directed by a team from Comédie Française, Denis Podalydès, Eric Ruf and the magical Christian Lacroix for costumes, has been sold out for months. It will have two extra evenings at Versailles this month in the Théâtre Royal.Read More

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël, from Paris

parisdiaHappy moments6 Comments

The most wonderful Christmas tree in Paris is at Opera Garnier in the Foyer, photo rudi Fernandez Cardenas

I looked around Paris to find a pretty Christmas tree for you, all the hotels are lit in the most exquisite way but the most glamorous decor is certainly that of Opera Garnier where I heard a wonderful “Clemenzia de Tito” with Stéphanie d’Oustrac in Sesto and Ramon Vargas in Tito.  The Foyer has never looked so good!

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Art brut in Victor Hugo’s house, a true surprise

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August Klett, Heillbronn Sugar factory, March 23, 1991, Sammlung Prinzhorn, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

Maison de Victor Hugo on Place des Vosges is dedicated to the history of the writer’s family and the exhibition “La folie en tête, aux racines de l’art brut” (to the roots of art brut) starts with photographs of his daughter Adèle and his brother Eugène who lived in asylums. At the end of the 19 th century, alienated patients as they are called, are invited to develop their art by a few psychiatrists who collect their paintings, drawings, embroideries. Adèle herself played the piano every day. The show which comprises 200 works, is based on four such collections in Switzerland, Scotland, Germany and France ant it is riveting.

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Slobodan Despot becomes a literary Casanova

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Slobodan Despot, the conqueror, at Librairie Elbé, on bd Saint Germain

When I met Slobodan Despot a few months ago at editor Catherine Blanchard-Maneval’s house, I was immediately charmed by his frank manners and brilliant conversation. This young Swiss-Serb writer has published two books with Gallimard and was just awarded the Prix Casanova created by couturier Pierre Cardin for the best book written in French by a European.Read More

Edgar Degas and Paul Valéry exchange letters at Orsay!

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Edgar Degas, La repasseuse, ca 1869

The friendship between painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917) and poet Paul Valéry (1871-1945) was also an extraordinary artistic collaboration and the new exhibition at Musée d’Orsay celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Degas’s death is a little treasure of refinement and erudition with many unknown drawings and letters. A peaceful pause and marvelous contrast from most blockbuster exhibitions.Read More

Bayonne celebrates the Gramont in style

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François Clouet’s studio, Anne d’Humières at 4, ca 1570 Her grandfather was the preceptor of Catherine de Medicis children

We were eight members of the Gramont family to make the trip on the new four hour TGV to Bayonne, in the Pyrénées Atlantiques. Our ancestors Roger, Jean, Antoine I, were mayors and captains Antoine II, III and IV were governors of the town from the 16 th to the 18 th century. The occasion was the inauguration of an exhibition at Musée Basque by the mayor Jean-René Etchegaray and the head curator Olivier Ribeton : « Air de famille, children in the Gramont collection » shows fifty paintings and photographs made as early as 1570 and until 1928. It is part of the collection given to the city by Antoine XIII, whose grandson, Antoine XV, had flown in from Houston to be there. He is 10 years old and it was particularly touching to see him in this exhibition.Read More

A view from Yves St Laurent’s studio

parisdiaFashion2 Comments

Order forms for the défilés with fabrics and drawings

What I liked best at Yves Saint Laurent’s new museum on 5 avenue Marceau is the view from his studio. Not that it is particularly beautiful, it’s just a Parisian courtyard with a view of the sky, but to be in the room where this genius of fashion created most of his magical collections, just moved me enormously. For the first time, 450 square meters of the Couture house are open to the public since October. And in Marrakech an Yves Saint Laurent museum is built from scratch by Studio Ko in the Jardins Majorelle…Read More

Gérard Garouste, at last elected at the Académie des Beaux Arts

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Gérard Garouste, one of the most talented French painters today, © Hugo Miserey

I woke up this morning and my best reward was to get a message from Erik Desmazières, our most brilliant French engraver and drawer who has a show at Galerie Dietesheim &Maffei in Neufchatel Switzerland (until January 28), announcing that the Académie des Beaux Arts had elected Gérard Garouste to the painting section. This is a long awaited honor for one of the best French artists whose Memoirs “L’Intranquille” written with Judith Perrignon and published in 2009, are still a best seller. Daniel Templon, his galerist must be very proud.

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