The Al Thani collection, fireworks of diamonds

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Shah Jahan’s dagger, 1629-1636, Northern India, Jade and gold engraved jawhar, photo Prudence Cuming for the Al Thani collection

A year ago exactly was opening at the V and A an exhibition of Indian jewelry from the Al Thani collection. So I thought the new show at Grand Palais would be an exact repeat of the already beautiful but small exhibition. Well not at all! The show curated by Dr Amin Jaffer and Amina Taha-Hussein Okada from Musée Guimet is three times more important and incredibly well designed. It is a festival of fireworks of diamonds and emeralds in the Salon d’Honneur of Grand Palais.Read More

Rodin and his followers at Grand Palais

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Antony Gormley, Feeling material IV, 2003, private collection

I was dragging my feet to go and see yet another Rodin show at Grand Palais! I spent every afternoon of my childhood in the gardens of Musée Rodin where children and nannies could go in for free. So “The Bourgeois of Calais” and “The Gates of Hell” were my playing companions… But to my utter surprise, the exhibition celebrating the Centenary of Rodin’s death is full of good finds until the very end of the show,  where his “Balzac’s dressing gown” is hanging next to Joseph Beuys’ coat…

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Beyeler celebrates 20 years, with Monet

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Monet, View of Bordighiera, 1884, The Armand Hammer Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

Twenty years ago, Ernst Beyeler was inaugurating his foundation in Riehen, near Basel, Switzerland. Architect Renzo Piano delivered a masterpiece for what is considered one of the greatest private collections of art in the world. The art dealer died in 2010 but Fondation Beyeler is well alive with a Monet show which has attracted 100 000 visitors in two months.Read More

“Drawing now”, it’s not too late to catch up

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Philippe Mayaux, one of 25 drawings in ink at galerie Loevenbruck

“Drawing now” traditionally takes place at Carreau du Temple in the Marais at the same time as Salon du Dessin. It is a lovely fair of contemporary drawings. While AlineVidal was showing Herman de Vries and Morrelet, and Anne de Villepoix many small pieces by Swiss born Annette Barcelo, I found three artists I had never seen before.

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Cécile Pozzo di Borgo, is honored… again

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Prime minister Cazeneuve welcomes Cécile Pozzo di Borgo at Hôtel de Matignon

I was excited for weeks in anticipation. My first invitation to Hôtel de Matignon, the  French Prime minister’s office and residence on rue de Varenne, was the most fun official event I have ever been asked to with the Elysées Palace a few years ago. And the occasion was Cécile Pozzo di Borgo being honored by Prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve with the insignia of Officier de la Légion d’honneur after having received the Officier des Arts et des lettres decoration last December.

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A museum of Modern and Contemporary art for Palestine

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Erro, Portrait of Pierre Boulez, 1984-1986

Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris is an interesting spot. It always has many exhibitions going on at the same time besides its permanent collection, mostly devoted to the Mediterranean and Arab world. At the moment, the works of the Barjeel art foundation did not make a lasting impression on me but on the other side of the building, the collection of the future Palestine Contemporary art museum intrigued me.Read More

At Chantilly, drawings are kings

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Henri Loyrette with drawing expert Christiana Romalli in galerie Daumet at Chantilly

Two buses filled with drawing collectors and experts came from Paris for the inauguration of the « New gallery of Prints and drawings » of Château de Chantilly. It was a jolly group of American, British, Belgian, Dutch and Italian visitors mingled with beautiful Parisians all assembled by Prince Amyn Aga Khan for the opening of new galleries for Duc d’Aumale’s drawing collection. This is a major event for the art world since it is the first new gallery created in the castle since the Duc’s death in 1897. It took 14 months and over 2 Million€ for the restoration to be completed.Read More

Jacques Truphémus, at Caillebotte’s house

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Intérieur de l’atelier des Cévennes, 2010

It was an extroardinary privilege to walk around the exhibition « Intimacy revealed » with the painter himself, Jacques Truphémus, 94, who still paints every day and enjoyed every minute of the opening at Propriété Caillebotte in Yerres. He kept on telling the curator, Nicolas Sainte Fare Garnot that he was so touched, he felt he was looking at someone else’s paintings. His emotion was visible. He specially liked the lighting and the way each painting was hung. Also the different themes from « Silent lives » to «  Beyond Cévennes » and « Scenes from Lyon ».Read More