Paris Diary by Laure

Popelini, a very light sin

parisdia25 March 2016Restaurants & Hotels1 Comment

Behind the counter at Popelini, fifteen different kinds of cream puffs

Having lunch with a very thin friend, who eat nothing, is always a little frustrating for me and after resisting taking a dessert after two big dishes, I ran to three different galleries including the very pretty « Laubiès » exhibition at galerie Alain Margaron, and the classic and excellent « Arman » show at Galerie Templon. This strenuous afternoon made me completely vulnerable to the cream puffs of Popelini, a shop I had never spotted before on rue de Turenne. `They are small enough that you don’t feel sinful, yet they are large enough to give you a shot of sugar on a busy aternoon.Read More

Barcelo, a big surprise

parisdia25 March 2016Art1 Comment

A detail of “verre de terre”, 195m x 6 m at Grande Bibliothèque

Majorcan artist, Miquel Barcelo is one of my favorite artists. In 1987, I was given one of his first etchings of a boat and have been looking at it every day, since. It is briliant. There are two exhibitions of his in Paris at the moment. One, in the cellar of Musée Picasso, shows a large painting and wonderful pots made on his island of Majorca. The other one at Bibliothèque François Mitterrand is completely striking.Read More

Emmanuelle Pirotte wins Prix Edmée de la Rochefoucauld

parisdia24 March 2016Books1 Comment

The author Emmanuelle Pirotte and two membersof the jury, Marie Eugénie de Pourtalès and Viviane de T'serclaes.

The author Emmanuelle Pirotte (right) and two members of the jury, Marie Eugénie de Pourtalès and Viviane de T’serclaes.

It was one of those magical days, where the sun shines through the luxurious paneled rooms of Cercle Interallié, and the large garden was revealing its first daffodils and primroses. In Salon duc de Luynes, a small group of chic ladies (and a few gentlemen) were meeting for the Prize giving ceremony of Prix Edméee de la Rochefoucauld, dedicated to best first novel. The winner, Emmanuelle Pirotte, a Belgian screen writer, whose father Jean Claude Pirotte was a famous poet and novelist, is not only very « sympathique ». She is a briliant narrator and her book « Today we live » (an English title for a book in French) is lively, captivating and mostly a fantastic psychological frescoe.Read More

Two Rembrandts for the price of one

parisdia22 March 2016ArtLeave a Comment

Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppin, by Rembrandt, will remain together forever

Since March 10 th, you can see at the Louvre, two portraits « en pied » (full-length) of Maerten Soolmans and his wife Oopjen Coppit painted by Rembrandt in 1634. This little miracle is due to a very ingenious cooperation between the Rijksmuseum in The Hague, and the Louvre in Paris. The Dutch bought the man, the French bought the lady. Some French curator friends have already told me that the Dutch got the better deal because the lady is not painted as well…Read More

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!