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
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
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, 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.
Dan Burton as Don Lockwood under the Glass roof at Grand Palais, photo Sylvain Gripoix
Two things led me to go and see Théâtre du Châtelet’s production of “Singing in the rain” even though it is sold out until January 11. Robert Carsen, the genius director who has never disappointed me, and the fact that it takes place at the Grand Palais, under its huge glass roof, an unbeatable decor. It was great fun!Read More
On holiday with Pier Paolo Pasolini, in Greece, after shooting Medea, 1969 © Fonds de Dotation Maria Callas
Maria Callas has remained in our minds as the greatest « diva » of the second half of the 20 th century and her destiny is as tragic as the parts she loved to sing, Medea, Norma, Traviata. On December 13th, a documentary of her life, directed by Tom Volf, « Maria by Callas » will be aired in movie theatres in Paris. Do not miss it and take the new generations along. It is a masterpiece.Read More
This ticket was used on July 19, 1900 on the first day of the metro. The line was inaugurated for Exposition Universelle and linked Porte Maillot to Porte de Vincennes with 18 stops. This document is particularly rare because of its very nature
Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris, is one of those rare and secret monuments in the Marais, where you can enter freely and consult magazines from a hundred years ago. And no one in Paris is aware of it. After two years of modernization, Emmanuelle Toulet, its director, was hosting three days of public visits and has decided to open the ground floor galleries to everyone. Some true chefs d’oeuvres are visible for at least two months at the time.`
Encornet de ligne Saint-Guénolé, vinaigrette encre de seiche, épinard et huile de persil
The news of the evening was that black truffles had arrived! But we resisted since it was a bit early in the season. At Quinsou (pronounce Kinsu), the name for little bird or passereau in occitan, chef Antonin Bonnet reigns over a small and under decorated room, with two lovely smiling waiter (waitress) and a fabulous menu accompanied by organic wines.Read More