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Wrapping the Arc de Triomphe
Some dreams become reality. Fabric is covering the Arc de Triomphe sixty years after Christo and Jeanne-Claude envisioned the project L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped. “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” is entirely funded by the Estate of Christo V. Javacheff through the sale of Christo’s works of art. It receives no public funds”. In mid-August steel protective framing covered the arch. On Sunday, September 12, 25,000 square meters of fabric began its descent. By September 18, 3,000 meters of red cord will complete the package. This gift to Paris will stay wrapped until October 3. The noisy roundabout will fall silent for the three weekends between September 18 and October 3. Only those…
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Appreciating and Admiring Oceanic and Arctic Circle Art Virtually
Appreciating and Admiring Oceanic and Arctic Circle Art Virtually - Jacques Chirac. On a Thursday I visited my friend’s niece. Gisèle, at an art gallery. The gallery is a stone’s throw away from the National School of Fine Arts (École des Beaux Arts) in the Saint-Germain des Près quarter. It was the first Thursday of the month, and coincidentally a virtual live-streaming tour was about to begin. I was one of two live guests at a full exhibition tour of Oceanic and Eskimo (Arctic Circle) Art. During non-pandemic times, you can stop in at Galerie Meyer and ask questions about the exhibits . During pandemic times, virtual live-streaming and catching…
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Paris Churches and Art Galleries–New Museums?
Starving for art and culture in Paris? Churches and art galleries are filling the culture gap left by temporary museum closings in Paris....Eglise Saint-Merry as a Gallery...Walking near the Centre Georges Pompidou, I felt an urge to walk into the Eglise (church) Saint-Merry. As I entered, the interior of Saint-Merry mixes scaffolding with temporary art.
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Notre-Dame de Paris: Oaks and Stone – the Latest News
The day after the fire, President Emmanuel Macron said that Notre-Dame de Paris would be repaired by 2024. That was the easy part. Where do you find trees at least 100-years old to replace Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's spire? Where do you find the stones to replace those from 760 year ago that were damaged by water and fire? Finding trees and stone is the easy part. The race against time is the hard part. The President and the committee in charge of the reconstruction have decided to restore the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral to its 1865 renovation. The oak trees for the spire (flêche) are located west of Paris in the…
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Life-Size Marionettes at Paris’s Opéra Comique
Watching Opéra Baroque was the most entertaining virtual event that I have seen lately. Basil Twist has modernized a 1753 opera-ballet using life-size puppets. In the New York Times article: “Basil Twist in Paris: When Puppets Meet Baroque Opera” you read about two Americans who worked on this production in New York for the presentation in Paris at the Opéra Comique. The opera-ballet is full of special effects, including about 60 sheep, Mr. Twist, the stage director said in an interview. What you will see-The life-size marionettes/puppets and live artists perform Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville's "Titon et l'Aurore".
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A Day in Paris When It Snowed
One day last week the blackbirds (merles in French) were chirping away in a choral cacophony of song at at 5:30 am. I wondered if springtime was around the corner -- in mid-January! That springtime moment was short-lived. Thirty-two departments, including Paris and Ile-de-France, were placed under snow warnings. Saturday was going to be a snow day in Paris. Météo-France and our Echo-dot, Alexa, confirmed that the snow would begin by 11 am Saturday.
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Springtime Silence in Paris for 55 Days
It is time to turn the page on Chapter 2020. Who would have guessed that one would feel a bit nostalgic for the Paris Springtime in 2020!? All of the ups and downs and changes during the Springtime in Paris lockdown from total confinement to mostly open for summer and back to partially open; having to differentiate between what is essential (food) and non-essential (books) and back to semi-partial of partial and curfews. Aiiieee!! A Nostalgic Period? One Parisian confinement period stands out among all the rest of 2020. Between March 15 and May 11, 2020 Paris went silent.
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Notre-Dame de Paris and Jean-Michel Jarre
A virtual, free concert at Notre-Dame de Paris is taking place on December 31. The electronic music artist, Jean-Michel Jarre, has prepared an out-of-the ordinary concert. The 45-minute concert is direct from his Paris studio while at the same time an avatar plays from the interior of the virtually reconstituted cathedral. The concert takes place December 31 between 11:25 pm and 12:15 a.m. (CET/Paris time). You can listen online, television, or radio. How to listen to the concert Anyone equipped with a Virtual Reality (VR) helmet or in 2D on your computer, tablet or smartphone. Connect with Réalité Virtuelle on its VR social platform VRchat. Direct online at Paris.fr and…
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Blue Velvet Christmas in Paris
Three Paris monuments are wearing Blue Velvet this year. La Ville de Paris theme this year is “Paris Scintille” (Paris sparkles). Until January 3, Paris sparkles with white drops of light dripping down the façade of the Hôtel de Ville (City hall) and the Luxor Obelisk on Place de la Concorde. The Bastille Colonne de Juillet (July column) has no white drops but was my first dramatic glimpse of the blue velvet. What You Will See The Hôtel de Ville plaza is an illuminated, enchanted, fairy-tale forest with two free merry-go-rounds, including a double-decker. There are wood chalet kiosks with various treats. One kiosk is selling spiced wine, pretzels, waffles,…
