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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”

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Rosa Bonheur… Animalière Extraordinaire

The Musée d’Orsay revisits French artist Rosa Bonheur on the bicentenary of her birth with a major retrospective exhibition of her work (until January 15, 2023). Bonheur, one of the most important 19th century female painters, was hugely successful during her lifetime with her ultra realistic pictures of animals. She sold paintings internationally (mostly in the U.K and U.S) and was recognized with commissions and prizes (she was the first woman artist to receive the Legion of Honor). She was so famous that Victorian-era American children played with Rosa Bonheur dolls. But then after her death as art tastes changed she was mostly forgotten. Continue reading “Rosa Bonheur… Animalière Extraordinaire”

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Paris Cemeteries, the Saints Go Marching

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Oscar Wilde’s grave

November in Paris begins with yet another long weekend away from work – le pont de la Toussaint (All Saints Day) – one of many strewn along the French calendar year. As Paris florists bring out their stock of chrysanthemum for the annual commemoration of Parisians now gone, and as other Parisians pack their cars and pile up at the exits of the city for yet another frantic weekend on France’s chock-a-block highways, why not use this most appropriate time of year for a less stressful outing to one of the capital’s cemeteries. This should be completed with the purchase of Georges Brassens’ “La Ballade des Cimetières,” a perfect way to record your outing and do your French homework. Continue reading “Paris Cemeteries, the Saints Go Marching”

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Drinking French

While dreaming  during these troubled times of getting back to France, it’s great to have a new book that evokes some of the things we love about the country. With “Drinking French” author David Lebovitz serves up more than 160 recipes for trendy cocktails, quintessential apéritifs, café favorites, typical Parisian snacks and more. Continue reading “Drinking French”

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Emily in Paris

When the going gets tough in these pandemic times the tough get Netflix. “Emily in Paris,” updating the ever popular American in Paris story, premiered this month on Netflix with Lily Collins as the titular character moving to Paris for a new job with a French marketing firm. It already ranks among Netflix’s top ten! The rom-com, written and produced by Darren Star—whose previous hits include “Beverly Hills” and “Sex in the City” —follows Emily for ten episodes as she searches for love and struggles to achieve success in a French workplace while experiencing the usual franco-american culture clashes. Continue reading “Emily in Paris”