Paris Diary by Laure

From Budapest to the Luxembourg

parisdia18 March 2016Art2 Comments

St Dorothy, Hungarian sculpture on wood, 1410-1420. This medieval sculpture has a Japanese gracefulness.

The first four rooms of Musée du Luxembourg probably reserve the most aesthetic shock you can get in Paris today. They are devoted to medieval and 16 th century collections of the Budapest Art Museum. And the small building in the Luxembourg gardens next to the Senate, is a perfect jewel box, for these exceptional paintings and sculptures selected from the 600 pieces of Prince Esterhazy’s collection.

Albrecht Dürer, Portrait of a young man, 1500-1510, Musée des Beaux Arts, Budapest

“Moura”, a true adventuress

parisdia16 March 2016Books1 Comment

Kay Francis played Moura 's part in Michael Curtiz's film "British agent" based on her love story with Lockhart

Kay Francis played Moura’s part in Michael Curtiz’s film “British agent” based on her love story with Lord Lockhart

For her eleventh book, French novelist Alexandra Lapierre has picked the most extravagant and moving Russian heroin and has traveled around Europe, Estonia and Russia for three years, digging into archives, secret service files from England, France, Germany and Russia, and aristocrat’s clubs. The life of Moura Benckendorff, who lived through the Russian Revolution, loved Gorki, H.G. Wells and a charming British diplomat, Robert Bruce Lockhart, is one of her most achieved novels.Read More

Botticelli revisited at the V and A

parisdia16 March 2016ArtLeave a Comment

The-Orchard-1890-by-William Morris, Victoria-and-Albert Museum, London

The Orchard, 1890, tapestry by William Morris, Victoria-and-Albert Museum, London

« Botticelli reimagined » is a very promising title and yet I did not expect much before entering the show at the V and A of the Italian master and his followers. The first rooms dedicated to 20 th century admirers like Dolce et Gabbana, Cindy Sherman or Andy Warhol, were fun but somewhat disappointing. Except for the beach pictures by Rineke Dijkstra, whose videos I also admire, there were too many loud colors maybe on the black walls and a sad feeling of being on Oxford Street rather than at the Victoria and Albert Museum.Read More

Barbie is still a star

parisdia16 March 2016Fashion5 Comments

Barbie foot, is one of the fascinating items exhibited at Arts Décoratifs

Barbie-foot or Royal wedding, Barbie remains the plastic sex symbol that a generation of girls were forbidden to own because she was too sexy and had a boyfriend. What I discovered in the new exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, is that she had many boyfriends over the years, parents, cousins and best friends, and that she even was not that pretty sometimes, and could also be short but never fat.

My self portrait as a Barbie given to me for my recent birthday!

My portrait as a Barbie given to me for a recent birthday!

“The Modern Garden” at the Royal Academy

parisdia11 March 2016Art, Flowers and gardensLeave a Comment

Monet painting in his garden at Argenteuil, Auguste Renoir, 1873, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Ct

« Painting the Modern garden, Monet to Matisse », is the right exhibition on the right theme in the right country. Where else, but in Great Britain, where everyone has a garden and cherishes it, could one have organised a show on painters who love gardening. There was a real faith animating the public in the crowded Royal Academy galleries, and everyone was discussing the quality of the dahlias and the layout of the Impressionists’s gardens. You could really see how important flowers were for these great artists.Read More

Noureddine Amir sculpts dresses

parisdia11 March 2016Art, FashionLeave a Comment

Noureddine Amir with Monique Bresson who sells some of his clothes in Marrakech

Noureddine Amir with Monique Bresson, a long time friend, who sells some of his clothes in Marrakech at “33 rue Majorelle”

To celebrate ten years of exceptional exhibitions at Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, in the famous avenue Marceau house where Saint Laurent created his Haute couture, Pierre Bergé chose Noureddine Amir, a Moroccon sculptor-couturier. In the fall 2017, the space will become the Yves Saint Laurent museum.

Tubes d’organza de soie garnis de raphia et travaillés en spirales, 2009

Hubert Robert intimate

parisdia11 March 2016Art1 Comment

Hubert Robert (1733-1808). "Le ravitaillement des prisonniers à Saint-Lazare". Huile sur toile. Paris, musée Carnavalet.

“Le ravitaillement des prisonniers à Saint-Lazare”, 1794, Paris, musée Carnavalet/ Roger Viollet.

Before going to the Louvre to see the new « Hubert Robert, a visionary painter » exhibition organised with the National Gallery of art in Washington, I had always thought he was a classical and fairly tedious 18 th century painter. But after seeing the 140 works which have come from all around the world, I am totally fascinated and charmed.Read More

Soprano Chirara Skerath, a revelation

parisdia11 March 2016Performing artsLeave a Comment

Chiara Skerath dressed in Dior with Richard Plaza and Antoine Palloc

There is something magical about discovering a new voice in a very intimate space. Twenty eight year old soprano Chiara Skerath was singing melodies by Poulenc and Reynaldo Hahn, Schubert and Ottorino Respighi at Eléphant Paname, a private house for the arts, on rue Volney in Paris. These evenings for 110 guests are organized by former tenor Richard Plaza and Sophie de Ségur for a group of opera lovers called Instant Lyrique, presided by Dr Georges Alcaraz. There will be twelve concerts this year.Read More