Maria Lannino brings our dear Palermo to Paris.

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Maria Lannino, Palazzo Arcivescovile, July 2019, print on aluminium, 60 x 40 cm at Galerie Eeckhout

This week Paris Photo took over the Grand Palais Ephémère with 148 galleries from 25 countries, and it was fun to hear again all sorts of languages being spoken with a large group of German galleries from Berlin, new ones from South Africa and Morocco,  and the usual New Yorkers. But for us, long time fanatics of the fair, there was not much new. Many of the photographers had already exhibited in the galleries which were showing them and if, like me, you were a bit frustrated, do not miss the very strong exhibition at Galerie Xavier Eeckhout on 8 bis rue Jacques Callot of Maria Lannino‘s “Palermo” until November 20. There you will find poetry and style from an insider who was brought up in Sicily and has lived in Paris for twenty years with her husband, the auctioneer Alexandre Giquello. The pictures are printed on aluminum which gives them a very specific glow and Palermo’s life is as fascinating as ever!Read More

In Versailles, animals reign in lavish decors.

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Pierre Legros and Benoît Massou, Monkey riding a goat and watching right, 1673-1674, polychrome  lead, National Museum of Versailles

Driving to Versailles on a sunny day to see the exhibition “The King’s animals” was a very exciting moment, especially since I was accompanied by photographer Karen Knorr who often works with animals in museums and palaces and who was showing her works at Paris Photo. There were lots of children running around and loving the large elephants and birds painted by François Desportes or Nicolas Robert. And the very extensive exhibition (300 works) was never tedious thanks to great decors created by Alessandro Vicari and Guicciardini & Magni architects. Sculptures, paintings, porcelain, bronzes and furniture show how very much loved, animals were at court for over a century and Marie Antoinette is even featured hunting in 1783 painted by Louis Auguste Brun, dit Brun de Versoix.Read More

In Moscow, a French curator makes the news

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Yacob van Geel. Lanscape with a big tree. First half 18th century

While two Russians are in fashion in Paris at the moment, Ilya Repine and Morozov, French curator Jean Hubert Martin is creating the buzz at the Pushkin museum in Moscow. His exhibition, “Odd Convergences”  is similar in style to “Carambolages” which took place at Grand Palais five years ago. It  includes over 400 items mostly found by the curator in the galleries and storerooms of the famous museum, with some loans of contemporary works by foreign museums and collectors. “Deconstructing the conception of the museum as a temple or a huge archive with carefully arranged hierarchies, he proposes turning it into a play space, where visitors can discover similarities and differences that exist between artworks of different periods despite chronological and geographical distances. ” Since I could not travel to Russia, Sarah d’Amécourt, who is based in Moscow,  was gracious enough to report on the show which she loved.Read More

Vogue and the history of fashion are disappointing at Palais Galliera

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Christian Lacroix, wedding dress, 1987, © Stanislas Wolff, Paris Musées, Palais Galliera

Under Olivier Saillard‘s reign, Palais Galliera was a fun and glamorous Museum of Costume culminating with Comtesse Greffulhe’s exhibition. Now that the downstairs galleries have been completely transformed thanks to the generosity of  Chanel, it feels a little gloomy and dark. On the ground floor, the exhibition devoted to the 100 years of Vogue Paris, 1920-2020 is definitely understated. When I think of the fun we all had in the 1980’s on place du Palais Bourbon, I was very sad to see how stern the show is and how all the talent and craziness of genius photographers such as Bourdin, Mugler, Newton etc… had been cleaned in the scenography. Why did they not ask one of the (still alive) editors to help? “The History of Fashion” exhibited downstairs shows part of the fabulous collections with 350 items owned by the museum of the City of Paris from 18 th century Watteau style gowns to Comme des Garçons. It is a great pleasure to see all these impeccably kept dresses and accessories but the lighting is definitely wrong and again, there is no glamour to it. Read More

Tree houses for rent what fun!

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Coucoo Grands Chênes in Raray,  with a light bridge and Nordic bath at the end, architect atelier Lavit

I had wanted to go for many years to Raray, the spectacular property owned by the La Bédoyère family near Senlis and stay in one of their tree huts. But I only went last week, and have to admit I did not spend the night because it was fully booked. Emmanuel de La Bédoyère, who started this adventure six years ago with Gaspard de Moustier, took us around to visit the large and smaller two or three bedroom cabanes located on the golf course, which his father Jean Marc created thirty three years ago. The surroundings are peaceful and superb, with the castle of Raray and its hunting decors, where Jean Cocteau filmed  “La Belle et la Bête” in 1945. It will soon be a showroom for Benjamin Steinitz, the antique dealer, whose father had already used the castle in the past. The hotel closes at the end of November but now is the time to book for next Spring.Read More

Cèna is my new canteen

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Boeuf au couteau, sesame and pepper oil and nachi pear is a starter

In Italian and in Spanish, cena means dinner but don’t be misled, this new restaurant “Cèna”  in the 8 th arrondissement has nothing Italian or Spanish about it. It is the pure produce of French cuisine with Pascal Barbot, the 49 year old chef of l’Astrance (closed for a few months), as head chef. An unpretentious bistrot for approximately 40 guests and a small kitchen visible from the street. The decor is sober with wood, no tablecloth and fine white Bernardaud plates. I went there with a friend from Scotland who is as great a glutton as I am, and we had a fabulous dinner. Read More

What’s hot this week?

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Malandain ballet, Stravinski program, “Firebird”, © Olivier Houeix

So much is happening in Paris at the moment that I will be very concise even though all events are important. I enjoyed very much the Malandain ballet at Chaillot, the Stravinski program with a captivating “Firebird” by Thierry Malandain and  “the Rite of Spring” choreographed by the young Martin Harriague (until November 12). The exhibition of “I Camuccini” father and son, Roman painters, at galerie Eric Coatalem and at Maurizio Nobile (until December 3), the Renaissance “Antica Farmacia” pots from Venice and Nevers at Aveline (until December 4) and the “Cartier and Islamic arts” show at Musée des Arts Décoratifs (until February 20). At Carrousel du Louvre, the salon Fine Arts Paris is back with 55 top galleries and a decor signed by Jacques Garcia (until November 11). And please make sure NOT to go to dinner at l’Epi d’Or, on rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the new Jean François Piège address. It is expensive and bad (except for the French fries) and mostly the waitress is so rude that you want to leave before ordering… which we unfortunately did not do. Read More

At Musée Cernuschi, 16 th century monks and scholars enchant our eyes

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Huang Xiangjian (1609-1673) – Journey searching for my parents, not dated, n°3 of 12 leaves album © Hong Kong Museum of Art

If you are tired or just disenchanted by Paris life, go and visit the new exhibition at Musée Cernuschi, the private house of an exceptional collector on Parc Monceau. Called “Peindre hors du monde” (Painting apart from the World) it takes you back to 15 th-18 th century China in the very rich Suzhou area, where artists were most often monks and scholars. They painted on gold paper or silk, and their works are presented as vertical or horizontal scrolls, on fans or albums with miniature drawings. The hundred works presented here until March 6, were collected by Ho lu-kwong (1907-2006), a Chinese real estate magnate from Canton, who started acquiring these old masters since the 1950’s  and gave them all to the Hong Kong Museum of Art under the name “Chih Lo Lou Collection”, meaning the pavilion of perfect felicity. Read More