Mystical countrysides at Orsay

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Maurice Denis, Paysage aux arbres verts, 1893, Paris Musée d’Orsay, photo Hervé Lewandowski

The new exhibition at Musée d’Orsay, « Beyond the stars, the mystical landscape from Monet to Kandinsky », is an ode to trees and endless landscapes, a tribute to Baudelaire’s poem « Correspondances » one of the pillars of symbolism. I was surprised to find Monet’s four cathedrals in the first room facing his haystacks… But there are many discoveries to be made in this dream show conceived with the Art Gallery of Ontario.Read More

Anselm Kiefer and Auguste Rodin observe cathedrals

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Anselm Kiefer, Auguste Rodin: les cathédrales de France, 2016, photo Georges Ponce

« I bequeath to the state all my works in plaster, marble, bronze and stone together with my drawings and the collection of antiquities I had such pleasure in assembling, for the education and training of artists and workers. » This sentence in Auguste Rodin’s will led Catherine Chevillot, director of Musée Rodin, to invite Anselm Kiefer in the storerooms of the museum five years ago. The exhibition opening today is the result of extensive research and painting by the maverick artist.Read More

Champagne at Gabrielle Chanel’s apartment

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Coco Chanel’s apartement is lined with Coromandel screens and filled with very surprising objects

When she died on January 10, 1971, Mademoiselle Chanel left an apartment on the second floor of the House of Chanel, 31 rue Cambon. Its singularity was that it only had a dining room, a living room and an office but no bedroom… She used to sleep across the street at the Ritz. The apartment has been kept intact with its dark Coromandel screens lining the walls and an eccentric mix of objects which still inspire Chanel today.Read More

Maastricht’s magic operates again

parisdiaArt, Furniture, Happy moments4 Comments

Ivory Okimono of a half peeled banana, Japan, Meiji (1868-1912) at Ben Janssens Oriental Art, London

The intense excitement started at 8 am at Gare du Nord. The whole quay was filled with dealers, collectors and journalists who were all anticipating walking into the 30 the Maastricht art fair with the happy few who are invited to the preview at 11 am exactly. After having travelled by train to Liège and taxied to Maastricht, in the Netherlands, the three hour trip through three countries gave us the privilege of discovering the greatest treasures in antiques, old furniture and old and contemporary paintings, jewellery, Chinese art, etc…270 exhibitors chosen with great care by the TEFAF organizers.  And the emotion was even more intense than expected.Read More

Balenciaga meets up with Bourdelle

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Coat, Silk façonnée matelassée, 1962. Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

 

Musée Bourdelle is a very special little museum hidden away behind Gare Montparnasse and the monumental sculptures it shows could be a little daunting if some lighter beauties did not come to keep them company. After a magistral Madame Grès show four years ago, Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) is the new guest. «L’œuvre au noir », a collection of 110 black dresses by the Spanish couturier is again a great success !

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Ulysses makes a brilliant come back

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Excellent Anne-Catherine Gillet as Minerva and Rolando Villazon in Monte Verdi’s Ulysses, Photo, Vincent Pontet

There were many reasons to be excited to see « Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria », one of only three operas composed by Claudio Monteverdi ( in Venice in 1640) at Théâtre des Champs Elysées. The director, Mariame Clément, is steadily climbing in the aeropagus of International opera directors and she did not disappoint us. Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon was singing Ulysses and Le Concert d’Astrée, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, has proved over the years to be an excellent baroque orchestra.Read More

Marzo, chic pizzas with extra charm

parisdiaHappy moments, Restaurants & Hotels1 Comment

Marzo attracts a young and trendy crowd around the corner from rue du Bac

It was a divine surprise to end a busy evening at Musée Maillol, and step into Marzo, the pizzeria recommended by my faithful Florentine friends on rue Paul-Louis Courrier. I saw there the slightly disappointing Paul Rosenberg exhibition, « 21 rue la Boétie », based on Anne Sinclair’s biography of her grand father, the genius art dealer.  There are some fabulous paintings by Braque and Picasso but the crowds and disorganized hanging, made me want for a warm and comforting dinner.

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Fondation EDF bets on video games

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Zaxxon edited by Sega in Japan, 1982

It was a bit disconcerting to enter the new show « Game » at Fondation EDF which is devoted to the evolution of video games since the 1950’s. I did not know how to start and manipulate any of the tools and had to beg a young « mediateur culturel » for help. But I was quite impressed to find out that they had become not only a social phenomenom but an economic one as well,  with tens of billions of dollars generated by youtubers and players alike. A recent example being the Pokemon go created for mobile phones.Read More