Category: Features

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Montmartre Fetes its Wine

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Monmartre © Miyazaki
 

That the Butte’s wine is almost undrinkable has never gotten in the way of what has to be one of this capital’s best annual fests! This year the Fete des Vendanges de Montmartre takes place Oct 9-15, 2024.

As with any good party, this one has something for everybody: it’s part folklore, with fraternal orders from the winegrowing regions of France turning out in traditional robes and quirky hats, and part Arbor Day parade, complete with Harvest Queen, marching bands and street theater. Continue reading “Montmartre Fetes its Wine”

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Jazz Pianist Lenore Raphael Swings into Paris

Lenore Raphael

One of the things we love about Paris is the opportunity to hear so many top jazz performers. Lenore Raphael, who jazz critics have compared to Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and even Thelonious Monk, will be in town playing her brand of modern swinging jazz (April 10, 2024) at the Cercle Suedois. Performing with Lenore is bassist Hilliard Greene who was music director for Little Jimmy Scott  and joining them is top guitarists  Wayne Wilkinson. Considered by many as one of great Steinway artists, she has performed at some of the world’s top jazz venues and festivals such as The London Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ronnie Scott’s (London) and the Blue Note. Continue reading “Jazz Pianist Lenore Raphael Swings into Paris”

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Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise

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Auberge Ravoux © Miyazaki

The exhibition “Van Gogh à Auvers-sur-Oise, les derniers mois” at the Musée d’Orsay (to February 4, 2024 ) is an excellent opportunity to visit the town where the artist made his last paintings.

Vincent van Gogh spent his final days in Auvers-sur-Oise. In this picturesque village located just a short train ride from Paris you can walk in Van Gogh’s footsteps, from his attic room at the Auberge Ravoux to the places where he planted his easel: the church of Auvers, the house of the painter Daubigny, the house of his friend Doctor Gachet, and the field where he painted his last work, “Wheat Field With Crows” (1890). Continue reading “Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise”

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Gutenberg at Paris’ BNF

The Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF) revisits Johannes Gutenberg’s discovery of movable-type printing with the exhibition “Imprimer! L’Europe de Gutenberg” (to July 16, 2023). Though not the first printing press, Gutenberg’s version was the first to spread across the world. Woodblock printing in China dates back to the 9th century and Korean bookmakers were printing with movable metal type a century before Gutenberg. Continue reading “Gutenberg at Paris’ BNF”

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Ruby & Loulabelle’s  Cannes Couch

Cannes red carpet

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”

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No Ordinary Season

James Jacobs’ debut novel “No Ordinary Season” revisits life in small town America. A first impression could be this is just another coming of age book. It is much more than that. Appearing a century after Sinclair Lewis’ iconic “Main Street,” Jacobs’ book, situated in the fictional town of River Bend, Indiana, portrays a town with some of the provincial attitudes and prejudices of Lewis’ day. Continue reading “No Ordinary Season”

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Cuban Posters Revisited in Paris

Alfredo Rostgaard, 1969, courtesy MAD, Paris

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs exhibition Affiches cubaines: révolution et cinéma, 1959-2019 (Cuban Posters: Revolution and Cinema, 1959-2019) looks at Cuban poster design with a focus on the golden era of the 1960s and 1970s. This exhibition is a rare look at a group of artists who created a unique approach to poster design and also a chance to revisit the Cuban political and cultural context for the work (to February 02, 2020).  Continue reading “Cuban Posters Revisited in Paris”

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Trees Exhibition at Fondation Cartier

Artists, botanists and philosophers contemplate the world of trees with the exhibition “Nous Les Arbres,” at the Fondation Cartier Pour l”Art Contemporain through drawings, paintings, films and installations. It includes a diverse array of work from internationally recognized artists, such as photographer-filmmaker Raymond Depardon to indigenous Yanomami Amerindians living in northern Brazil depicting the trees they use for food, medicine and shamanic rituals (to January 5, 2020) Continue reading “Trees Exhibition at Fondation Cartier”