Paris Diary by Laure

Another full day in Paris!

parisdia7 February 2022Art, Books, Furniture4 Comments

Shang Xia, tea set in porcelain and bamboo, at MAD

The day started with the celebration of Chinese New Year with Shang Xia at MAD‘s boutique on rue de Rivoli, went on with the discovery of the new contemporary furniture acquired by Mobilier National and ended with Alexandra Lapierre’s conference at Christie’s on the occasion of the paperback publication of “Belle Greene“, the extraordinary portrait of J.P. Morgan’s African American assistant, which is about to be published in the US on June 14. Paris is still “A Moveable feast“…Read More

Geneva is taken over by storm, with Jean Hubert Martin…

parisdia31 January 2022Art, Books, Fashion, Furniture, History3 Comments

The first room, “From Cross to Globe”, Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève, photo, Julien Gremaud

Geneva is well known for its calm and orderly Swiss manners and its Musée d’Art and Histoire, located on top of the old city, is a municipal museum which few tourists take the time to visit. Art historian and curator Jean Hubert Martin was invited by the Director of MAH, Marc Olivier Wahler, to choose anything he liked in the storage rooms, a mountain of 500 000 paintings, sculptures and objects spanning over a period of 15 000 years, and create what he enjoys most, a treasure hunt of 850 objects throughout the museum galleries. The show “Pas besoin d’un dessin” (“Draw your own conclusion”) literally means in French, “you don’t need any explanation”. It was prepared over two years and the installation took two months in the main galleries, a supreme luxury for the curators. I completely fell for it and loved discovering Ferdinand Hodler‘s multiple paintings of bearded men and mountains, musical instruments with faces and the similarities between Swiss national flags and Matisse’s costumes for a ballet. The show goes on until June 19, so you have time to plan your Swiss expedition. Read More

At the Yves Saint Laurent marathon, MAM is the winner

parisdia28 January 2022Art, Fashion7 Comments

In the recently restored room of “Fée Electricité” painted by Dufy in 1937, three evening ensembles from Autumn Winter 1992, in gold and bronze satin, glitter at Musée d’Art Moderne Paris, Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris

On Friday, I walked 12 kms and took four metros and one bus to achieve the marathon for the five openings of the “Yves Saint Laurent aux Musées” exhibitions. I started at Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, then took the bus to Musée d’Orsay, walked over to the Louvre, then down to Musée Picasso and walked to the Pompidou center. A nice promenade through the best museums of Paris who are keen to get the attention created around Yves Saint Laurent’s sixtieth anniversary. A great coup realized by Pierre Bergé’s heir, Madison Cox, with cocurator Mouna Mekouar and their fabulous set designer Jasmin Oezcebi. I bet that the Saint Laurent company owned by Kering is very happy too. Read More

It’s time to order for Valentine!

parisdia25 January 2022Happy moments1 Comment

With the sea near Beauly in the background, a bedside carafe with thistle represents the best of Scotland, 72£, photo Alex Baxter

In 2021, Petra Palumbo has done everything right. As she says herself, “Looking back, 2021 was a bit of a blurr. It feels like I gave birth to twins, my daughter Vaila and the Flagship – both arriving almost at the same time and both in need of love, attention and time. It was a trying year but also the best.” When she married Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, in 2016, Petra knew that the future lied partly in Scotland, near Inverness, where the Frasers have been established on the Beauly (Beau Lieu as Mary Queen of Scots used to call it) river since 1458. I already loved going to this village for its magical tweed and cashmere shop, Campbell’s of Beauly, and its golf courses nearby, now I have a second reason to go.Read More

Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas, a true discovery!

parisdia25 January 2022Performing arts5 Comments

Stéphane Degout as “Hamlet” with his father’s ghost, Jérôme Varnier, in the back, photo, Vincent Pontet

I usually dislike large videos taking over an opera stage but I have to admit that with “Hamlet” by Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) at Opéra Comique, Cyril Teste has directed a masterpiece and with Louis Langrée‘s great conducting and Stéphane Degout as Hamlet, Sabine Devieilhe as a sexy Ophelia, the evening was overwhelmingly successful. It feels so good to be at a live performance of such high quality again.Read More

“The Chiffon Trenches”, a fashion testimony with wit from André Leon Talley

parisdia21 January 2022Books, History3 Comments

Arthur Elgort photographs André Leon Talley

“My mother loved clothes, though I am not sure she ever fully loved me” says André Leon Talley halfway through his amazing book “The Chiffon Trenches”, the history of the fashion world between Andy Warhol’s “Interview” magazine and today’s “Vogue”. This well known figure of the first rows of fashion shows, was African American and died last Tuesday at 73 in White Plains, N.Y.

Anselm Kiefer again, in full splendor at Thaddaeus Ropac

parisdia20 January 2022ArtLeave a Comment

You might have missed the Kiefer/Celan exhibition at Grand Palais Ephémère which, alas, only lasted a month, due to the numerous fashion activities of the place. So now is your chance to catch up with very different paintings which were done during the same period of lockdown and with the same huge talent by the German painter who lives mostly in France. The show of eighteen paintings in Pantin at Thaddaeus Ropac is dazzling, with the wonderful light which comes from the ceiling and the immaculate white space of the large warehouse. Where Grand Palais was all in darkness and drama, Pantin is flamboyant with colors and gold. Do not miss it (until May 11).Read More

At Roger Viollet, Gaston Paris shows his fantastic eye!

parisdia20 January 2022PhotographyLeave a Comment

Roger-Viollet is this magical gallery on rue de Seine where millions of historical negatives owned by the City of Paris are stocked and sold. Recently taken over by photo lover Gilles Taquet, it has become more dynamic and organizes regular exhibitions of their archives. At the time when Centre Pompidou is doing a retrospective of photo reporter Gaston Paris (1903-1964), you can go and see his prints chosen among 15 000 negatives, and acquire them for a modest price. I was surprised by the diversity of this photographer’s style. From surrealist pictures exhibited at Georges Wildenstein’s gallery in January 1938, to theatrical portraits, industrial and urban pictures, and reporting in Berlin after the war, his black and white square Rolleiflex shots are really interesting.Read More