Paris’ Jeu de Paume hosts “The Stutter of History,” a major retrospective of German photographer-sculptor Thomas Demand’s work (to May 28, 2023). The German-born artist who works in Berlin and Los Angeles, makes photographs of three-dimensional models that look like real images of rooms and other spaces. Continue reading “Thomas Demand… Stuttering History”
Ruby & Loulabelle’s Cannes Couch
The Festival de Cannes will soon be reported (May 16-27, 2023) by 4000 international journalists from around the planet. Among them is reporter Ruby Boukabou who is teaming up with Louise Prichard (of Loulabelle FrancoFiles podcast) to take you behind the scenes of the renowned film festival with stories, reels, interviews, news updates and more. Continue reading “Ruby & Loulabelle’s Cannes Couch”
Loire Plein Air Painting Workshop
Treat yourself to a week of water color painting taught by Paul George (May 27-June 3, 2023) while discovering the magical troglodyte village of Trôo. Perched above the river Loire in the northern Loire Valley this remarkable village features unique cave houses dug into the hillside that provide stunning views over the village, river and valley. Continue reading “Loire Plein Air Painting Workshop”
The Latin Quarter Revisited
Discovering the 5 & 6th district
Romantic myths of Left Bank intelligentsia which date back seven centuries are brutally shattered on today’s busy bd St-Michel, the main artery of the Latin Quarter, where the 5th and 6th arrondissements meet.
The venerable Sorbonne, the quarter’s historic seat of intellectual life, is still there, but these days the forlorn chime of its chapel bell, which has punctuated the studies of generations of scholars, is drowned out by the din of passing traffic. Indeed most people who stream past the place de la Sorbonne seldom notice its beautiful 17th century chapel with its graceful dome. Continue reading “The Latin Quarter Revisited”
French Like Moi
Scott Carpenter’s memoir “French Like Moi” revisits B.C Paris (before corona virus) with wit and humor. Carpenter, who teaches French literature at Minnesota’s Carleton College, tells a traveler’s tale that is both funny and full of cultural insights. His saga is sure to evoke a chuckle from anyone
who has spent some time in Paris. As the French might say, the book is… “très amusant.” Continue reading “French Like Moi”
The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris
A great book by veteran Paris reporter Ruby Boukabou — “The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris” — is a wonderful companion for a trip to Paris whether or not you are familiar with the city’s amazing art offerings. Continue reading “The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris “
Paris Valentine with the Midas Touch
Okay, fellas, it’s time to think about making an impression on Valentine’s Day. You can do like every other guy in town and take the love of your life flowers. Or, you can score lots of points by offering her a gift of the gods that’s 18 karat gold. In Paris, prices range from a couple of hundred Euros for a modest bauble from Tati’s “fine jewelry” boutique, to two or three times that at Galeries Lafayette, or maybe 50 times that for the Cartier dream. Continue reading “Paris Valentine with the Midas Touch”
France, An Adventure History
History adventure… an oxymoron? Well, maybe for those who have suffered through history classes in school with a bunch of boring facts and dates. But for Graham Robb, author of “France: An Adventure History,” revisiting bygones is a fascinating adventure full of surprises. Continue reading “France, An Adventure History”
Gisèle Freund Revisited
Gisèle Freund’s 1933 photograph of Andre Malraux on a Paris rooftop wearing a trench coat with a cigarette dangling from his mouth is one of her most iconic pictures. It was one of many portraits she took documenting the Paris literati after fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. But in 1941 she had to flee again. This time from France to Buenos Aires. An exhibition “Ce Sud Si Lointain,” at the Maison de l’amérique latine featuring Gisèle Freund’s Latin American photographs, is an opportunity to discover another chapter in the life of this remarkable journalist-socialogist-photographer (until January 07, 2023). Continue reading “Gisèle Freund Revisited”
Arte Povera On Camera
The times were a changin’ back in the sixties (as Bob Dylan famously sang). And in Italy, Arte Povera artists embodied that spirit of change using new materials and ideas that challenged how people thought about art. “Renverser Ses Yeux” (autour de l’arte povera 1960-1975) at Paris’ Jeu de Paume and a companion exhibition at Le Bal revisit those artists exploring new narrative possibilities for photography, video and film (until Jan 29, 2023). Continue reading “Arte Povera On Camera”
Zoe Leonard at Paris Modern
Over 500 photos by New York artist Zoe Leonard —mostly black and white— are exhibited at Paris’ Musée d’Art Moderne with her “Al Rio/To the River” exhibition (until January 29, 2023)
The documentary style photos revisit the fraught “build a wall” Rio Grande area, which sets the boundary between the United States and Mexico. Sans “Bressonian” decisive moments and migrant mothers à la Dorothea Lange, these documents are closer to the cool gaze of surveillance cameras obiquitous in borderlands. Continue reading “Zoe Leonard at Paris Modern”