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”
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”
Boris Mikhailov’s Diary
“Ukrainian Diary” is Boris Mikhialov’s huge photography retrospective with more than 800 images occupying two floors at Paris’ Maison Européenne de la Photographie (to January 15, 2023). The exhibition —delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic— revisits Mikhailov’s photographic projects starting in the 1960’s continuing to his most recent work. Continue reading “Boris Mikhailov’s Diary”
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”
Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris
Unlock the secrets of Paris’s charm with “The Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris,” a handy visual guidebook written by veteran Paris journalist Ruby Boukabou. Learn the history of the city’s most famous landmarks, grasp their fascinating details and discover dozens of lesser known architectural gems. Continue reading “Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris”
Vivian Maier at Musée du Luxembourg
Street photographer Vivian Maier’s pictures have been creating quite a buzz among the cognoscenti since they were discovered in Chicago at a warehouse auction in 2009. Her photographs —along with super 8mm films, audio recordings and personal items—are exhibited this autumn at Paris’ Musée du Luxembourg (until January 16, 2022). Continue reading “Vivian Maier at Musée du Luxembourg”
The Last President of Europe
William Drozdiak’s new book “The Last President of Europe” revisits Emmanuel Macron— France’s youngest leader since Napoleon— as he attempts to reshape his country and define France’s place in Europe and the world. The book is a revelatory examination of the global impact of a BC Macron (before coronavirus) and his tumultuous presidency. Continue reading “The Last President of Europe”