Present and past exhibits that have historical value and lingering interest for a Paris visitor
Napoléon and Paris: Dreams of a Capital until August 30 at Musée Carnavalet. In Paris, Napoleon, the Emperor/General/Adminstrator/Clarivoyant, is everywhere: Pont des Arts, the Vendôme column, the Stock Exchange, the Châtelet Fountain, La Madeleine; other bridges (Austerlitz and Cité), canals, fountains, markets, slaughterhouses (abattoirs) and cemeteries, or drinkable fresh water in Paris, think Napoleon.
Visit the Jeanne Lanvin exhibition at Palais Galliera in person (until August 23) or virtually (download the App). Lanvin is the oldest French fashion house still in business. This exhibit is displaying over one hundred examples of dresses, hats, belts, coats, drawings,
Viollet-le-Duc renovated the crumbling walls and put his imprint on about one hundred French monuments, including Vézelay, Pierrefonds, Notre-Dame de Paris, Carcassonne, Saint-Sernin. At la Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine until March 9, 2015, all of the signage and labels are in French and English. An opportunity for the public to see for the first time a considerable quantity of newly acquired graphic drawings and writing and relate to the public the various facets of this temperamental artist. This retrospective exhibit celebrates the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.
The Jeu de Paume is host to the first retrospective in twenty-five years of the American photographer, Garry Winogrand (1928-1984). Winogrand is considered in the same league as the American photographers: Walker Evans, Robert Frank and Lee Friedlander. Winogrand captured a moment in life similar to French photographers, Robert Doisneau, Marc Riboud and Willy Ronis. From the exhibit, I gathered that he admired most the works of Eugène Atget, Brassaï, Walker Evans and Diane Arbus.
It’s time to celebrate the two hundred and twenty years of the Paris historical zoo at the National Museum of Natural History’s (Muséum national d’histoire naturelle) in the Jardin des Plantes. An exhibit opened at the Cabinet d’Histoire for celebrated animals (Animaux célèbres de la Ménagerie) who lived in the historical menagerie from 1794 to today. The showcases are filled with mementos from those early days: postcards, illustrations, souvenir plates, books, illustrations, models, and other paraphernalia from the past. Many of the animals referred to are now found in the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution.
Hold on to your Eurostar ticket when traveling between France, England and Belgium. Having completely forgotten about the 2-for-1 museum-Eurostar partnership myself, we paid full price for a Natural History Museum exhibit on mammoths. Read more about these entry ticket benefits in Paris Good Deals for a Boat, a Train and 4 Museums…..
Paris 1900, the City of Entertainment (La ville spectacle) is open until August 17, 2014 at the Petit Palais. In 2013, the most visited Paris monument was Notre-Dame de Paris with over thirteen million visitors. About 27 million people visit Paris annually. The Exposition universelle de 1900 had fifty-one million visitors. When visiting Paris, what fascinates the visitor?
I found out Henry Miller was an author when I first saw a copy of his “Tropic of Cancer” on my father’s workbench in the garage. When I walked into dorothy’s gallery to buy concert tickets to Gabriela Arnon’s concert, I found out Henry Miller was also a painter, artist and photographer…..
I was fascinated by the Alex Ross exhibit at the Mona Bismarck American Center for Art and Culture. The exhibit concentrates on two things: the development from an early age of the photorealist, Alex Ross, and it provides a basic…
