Paris’ Musée d’Orsay tributes legendary French 19th century painter Henri Rousseau with an exhibition “Le Douanier Rousseau, L’Innocence Archaique” placing him in the context of his times (to July 17, 2016). Rousseau, (1844-1910) famed for his dreamlike atmospheres, enchanted landscapes and jungle scenes, was an important figure in art during the late 19th century and the early days of Modernism. He is still hard to categorize. Was he an inspired self-taught Naif or a harbinger of Modern Art? Maybe both.
Continue reading “Henri Rousseau… Paradise & Jungles”
The Nuit des Musées is a chance to go museum hopping in Paris for free (until midnight May 21). The aim of the event, organized by the French Ministry of Culture, is to encourage people to get out and see some art. No excuses! In addition to art exhibitions the evening includes workshops, concerts, installations and performances.
‟Fashion Forward, 3 Centuries of Fashion (1715-2016)” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs brings together 300 items of men’s, women’s and children’s fashion from the 18th century to today, selected from the museum’s collections to provide a chronological overview (to August 14, 2016).
“A Guide to Mystical France, ” is a magical mystery tour of the sacred sites of France from prehistoric cave paintings to majestic Gothic cathedrals to the secrets of the Knights Templar. This well-researched thoughtful book, written by British-born writer-photographer Nick Inman (who now lives in southwest France) is for people who have probably already seen the Mona Lisa and Eiffel Tower and want to have a deeper, more meaningful experience of France. 
Discovering Paris’ streets and neighborhoods is one of the pleasures of living here. A new book by veteran expat Elaine Sciolino is a delightful and beguiling look at life on a Rue de Martyrs, located in Paris’ charming 9th arrondissement. 
Many guides tout themselves as “insiders” but this one with the best addresses in Paris is the real thing. “Paris C’est Chic” is produced by the “Do It In Paris” website team and published as a printed guide by Parigramme, which specializes in all things Parisian. Organized by neighborhoods with a focus on femme fashion, shopping, fooding and cool cafés, this is guide useful for Parisians themselves. 
A major exhibition—”Spectaculaire Second Empire, 1852-1870″— at the Musee d’Orsay celebrates the museum’s 30th anniversary (to January 15, 2017). It revisits a time when France was at its zenith with paintings, sculptures, photographs, architectural drawings, objets d’art and jewels depicting a brilliant era rich in contradictions.
The Jeu de Paume hosts a retrospective of Francois Kollar’s photographs (to May 22). Although little known outside the photo cognoscenti Kollar was among the most innovative and experimental of France’s commercial photographers during the 30’s and 40’s. Considered a French photographer Kollar— like many other important photographers such as Robert Capa and Brassai who made their careers in France —came here from Eastern Europe. Kollar moved to Paris from Hungary in 1924. He lived and worked the rest of his life in France until his death in 1979. 
Originating in the suburbs of Paris in the 1930s, this distinctively energetic style of jazz was created by the legendary Django Reinhardt, who played with fellow gypsy musicians in Parisian jazz haunts during the 1930s and 1940s. Reinhardt grew up in a caravan in the Parisian suburbs and famously lost the use of two of his left-hand fingers in a fire. Despite doctors saying he would never play guitar again, the paralysis of his two fingers instead led to his invention of Gypsy Jazz (or Jazz Manouche as it’s known in France), a new jazz style incorporating three-finger chord structures and smooth, rippling melodies. It was then handed down through the generations of Manouche gypsies via oral methods, as most of whom, Django included, could not read music. 
“They say that when good Americans die” Oscar Wilde once said “they go to Paris…” Graffiti scribbled on Wilde’s tombstone in Pere Lachaise cemetery says “Here lies the greatest man who ever lived.” Maybe not the greatest as some of his fans think, but Wilde certainly was among the most clever. His aphorisms still bring a smile. For example about life he philosophized: “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” 