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The Temporary Grand Palais
On the radio one day I heard that the Grand Palais was moving to a new location. I went to Place Joffre across from the Ecole Militaire and the Champ-de-Mars--Nothing. Shortly after, I heard on the radio work had begun. I jumped on bus 86 and headed for the Eiffel Tower, missed my stop but saw this looming wood structure jutting out above the trees. The first frames secured on delivery trucks were being pieced together. A few weeks later, I returned to the construction site to check on progress. The Grand Palais Ephémère (temporary) is a wooden dual-framed structure is well underway in its new location with a spectacular…
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Last Days of Carambolages-Grand Palais
Colleen’s Take Away: This style of museum visit could be the future: Necessity to look at each object because each is related to the previous and to the next; Listening to sounds or music on your smartphone to set the tone. The exhibit poster gives no indication of what to expect. In the end, the exhibit is the unexpected. I recommend the exhibit “Carambolages” if you have time before it ends July 4. Colleen’s Tip: Best visited using the app. Download the app (Apple and Android) and its three parts either in advance or at the Grand Palais: Parcours sonore (sound), which I used throughout, Oeuvres galerie basse (art works…
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A Satisfying Taste of Paris
Taste festivals came to Paris for the second time between February 11 and 14, 2016. I was at Taste of Paris under the nave of the Grand Palais today. Here is what you will find if you have tickets: Food experiments for purchase, some free tastings and a fun atmosphere. If you go early when they open at 11 am until about 12:30, there is a line outside that moves quickly and not long lines inside. If you arrive about 2:30 pm there is no line outside, but long lines inside for each food booth. We bought the basic entry ticket and purchased....
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Vigée Le Brun Retrospective at Grand Palais
“Only in painting have I found happiness” ... Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. This is the first French retrospective for this portraitist. One hundred fifty-nine works are on view until January 11, 2016 at the Grand Palais. You will be mesmerized by the moist, glinting eyes that look at you. One of the best times to visit avoiding lines and crowds is Friday around 5:30 pm. In her portraits, I see an artist who painted impressionism, fashion, motherly tenderness and narrative art. Although not the first to paint teeth showing or expressive eyes, Madame Le Brun did have an expressive talent for naturalness. For her education....
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Paris Fashion Week Different Views
When you live in Paris, it seems that every couple of months they are speaking about "Fashion Week". The three reasons for this are: Haute Couture, Ready to Wear and Men’s Fashions. Two more reasons are Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.Paris Fashion Week happens so often need to keep up with the schedule from Mode à Paris (Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode). Find out when and how ...The Mode à Paris calendar drops hints....
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Paris Museums using “Apps” for Audio Guides
Look for Paris museums to use phone applications (apps) for their audio guides more frequently. As an amateur art critic, I am a big fan of audio guides. They provide in-depth background information on exhibition selections. They make you visit more efficient if you are short on time. The availability of languages depends on the exhibit or the museum. Generally, the museum’s audio guides for children are only available in French. Downloading an application offers several benefits: use your own headsets and phone/mp3 player for the visit; re-listen to the highlights again as often as you like and pretend you were there. The price might be cheaper for the download…
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Odilon Redon at the Grand Palais
This is a fascinating Grand Palais, Paris, exhibit of blacks and greys and eventually color. Was Odilon Redon, a contemporary of Impressionists and their colorful paintings, ahead of his time? He began in charcoals and was a master of lithographs using matted blacks. As a relatively recent medium (invented in 1796) Redon worked with lithographs between the middle and end of the 1800s. Popular with the public, his individual lithographs and those printed in books brought Redon notoriety. His other artistic contemporaries included Gustav Moreau, the Belgian art circle “Les XX”, Nabis, Cezanne and Gauguin. This exhibit follows Redon’s chronological development. He worked in charcoal, lithographs and eventually pastels and…
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Paris Exhibitions of the Past
The Paris Mayor’s office has a list of Paris museums and their links to check for current exhibitions. You can also check for current exhibitions at the city/municipal museums. The Paris Tourist Office provides a list of museums. And l’Officiel des spectacles provides museum information in their weekly magazine and online (Use Google Translate.) The following two exhibits are at the same Hotel de Ville – one entrance fronts rue de Rivoli and the other is around the corner on the street, Lobau. The Impressionists at the Hotel de Ville Until July 23, 2011. “During its renovation work, the Musée d’Orsay is loaning out several dozen canvases and drawings. Most…
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Grand Palais Restaurant Reopens -The Mini-Palais
This press release comes from the Paris Tourist Office: The re-opening of the Mini Palais The left wing of the Grand Palais on the Seine side, on the corner of avenue Winston Churchill and the cours de la Reine, is the location for the reopening of the Mini Palais restaurant now newly renovated and under new management. Situated in one of the most emblematic monuments in Paris for cultural exhibitions and major events, this new restaurant occupies some 6,00m² and boasts a new resolutely contemporary style, devised by the two famous designers Gilles and Boissier. On the menu, new creations by Eric Fréchon, starred chef at the Bristol, showcase French…
