From royal couturier to painter of palaces

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Hervé Aaron and the artist, Victor Edelstein, at Didier Aaron gallery

Hervé Aaron and the artist, Victor Edelstein, at Didier Aaron gallery in Paris

He became instantly world famous in the 1980’s after Princess Diana danced with John Travolta in the « ink-blue » velvet gown he designed for her dinner at the White House. Victor Edelstein, who started his career as a couturier at Biba in London in 1966, went on to dress all the British royalties and New York queens (Anna Wintour) and designed costumes for the ballet. He has now since 1993, become a full time painter like his wife Annamaria Succi.

Alan Saltz and Kristen van Riel enjoy the Indian decors

Alan Salz and Kristen van Riel enjoy the Indian decors of the throne room in the place of Jodhpur

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Splendour and Misery at Orsay

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The bed of the famous Païva whose house is now the Traveller’s club on the Champs Elysées

It is interesting to see that two major exhibitions in Paris, are totally dedicated to women. Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun at Grand Palais describes in detail the elegance of aristocrats at Marie Antoinette‘s court. « Splendour and Misery » at Musée d’Orsay, tries to draw a fresco of prostitution in the late 19 th century. It is full of beautiful paintings by Toulouse Lautrec, Degas, Constantin Guys and Béraud… and wonderfully designed by Robert Carsen, but the thematics did not convince me.Read More

Wilfredo Lam out of Cuba and back

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Wifredo Lam Cuba 1956 photo Jesse A Fernandez Collection France Mazin fernandez

Wifredo Lam, Cuba, 1956 Photo: Jesse A. Fernandez © Jesse A. Fernandez Estate

Campesina castellana 1927 coll particuliere Archives SDO Wifredo Lam © Adagp, Paris 2015

Campesina castellana, 1927, Photo: Archives SDO Wifredo Lam © Adagp, Paris 2015

Born the 8 th child of the family in Sagua la Grande, a little town east of Havana, Wilfredo Lam takes his Chinese name from his father Enrique Lam-Yam, who emigrated from Canton in 1860. His mother, part Congolese and part Spanish, was born in Cuba. Thus the most handsome metis young man, who studied art in Havana at 14, before leaving for Madrid at 21. The retrospective of over three hundred of his works at Centre Pompidou is the first one in France where he lived for so many years.Read More

Lola, the other Alvarez Bravo

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Ruth Rivera Martin, 1950 Fundacion Televisa

Ruth Rivera Martin, 1950

Maison de l’Amérique latine has two faces. One is a sumptuous 18 th century hôtel particulier with a garden where the best parties can be found in Paris. The other is the Cultural center for Latin American countries. This time we were in Mexico with Lola Alvarez Bravo (1903-1993), a lady photographer whose pictures are dedicated to artists and country people. The show is stunning.

Fishermen with a shark, Acapulco, 1950

Fishermen with a shark, Acapulco, 1950

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A Lady Painter shows all her talent

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Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun with her daughter Jeanne-Lucie

Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun with her daughter Jeanne-Lucie. “La Tendresse maternelle”, 1786. Photo : RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Franck Raux

72dpi_Charles Alexandre Calonne

Finance minister Charles Alexandre de Calonne, 1784,  one of her masterpieces, is kept at Windsor Castle.© Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015

 

Ever since her father, the pastellist Louis Vigée, told her she would become a painter, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun had wanted to prove that she could paint as well as a man. And she did ! With 150 portraits exhibited at Grand Palais, she definitely makes her point.Read More

Joël Dicker strikes again

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The very handsome Joel Dicker does not let us down

The very handsome Joël Dicker does not let us down

You probably remember the phenomenal success of « La vérité sur l’affaire Harry Quebert » published three years ago exactly by Editions de Fallois. In Great Britain, Germany and in Italy it was equally successful with over 2 million copies sold by 35 publishers world wide in hard cover. The very young (27 at the time) Swiss writer had set his psychological thriller in New Hampshire and described the life of what he would somewhat instantly become, a very successful writer.

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Dream furniture in the Marais

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Resin stools by Wonmin Park

Resin stools by Wonmin Park at the Carpenters workshop gallery

It was pouring rain and I had a hard time finding the door to the Carpenters workshop, a very discreet but grand gallery in the Marais, a block away from BHV super-trendy store. But when I saw the true « jewels » designed by South Korean artist Wonmin Park, the sky became blue ! The poetry and refinement of his resin pieces of furniture is mind blowing and I still dream about them today. I was happily pleased to find other pieces of his at Musée des Arts Décoratifs’s show “Korea Now!”.Read More