Heidi Ellison
Grayson Perry: Vanity, Identity, Sexuality
A New Man
I remember the shock of seeing Grayson Perry’s work for the first time at an exhibition in London. What appeared to be beautiful, classically made vases turned out, upon closer inspection, to be decorated with images of abused and neglected children. … Read More
L’Innocence Restaurant
Springboard to Success
This tiny (18-cover) restaurant in the ninth arrondissement was originally the springboard for the great Daniel Rose, whose wonderful restaurant Spring, once my favorite in Paris, is now sadly closed. Although he still owns two bistros in Paris, La Bourse et … Read More
Double Dragon Restaurant
Sister Act Goes Asian
Double Dragon’s reputation – both positive and negative – preceded it. I had heard that while the food was fantastic at this new Asian restaurant, the noise levels were extreme. The first turned out to be absolutely true, and the second, … Read More
A Dream of Italy: The Marquis Campana’s Collection
Citizen Kane’s Italian Predecessor
It’s a story of acquisitiveness comparable to that of William Randolph Hearst, who is said to have owned a quarter of the world’s art at one point and whose life was immortalized in Orson Welles’s film Citizen Kane. A fascinating … Read More
Pianovins Restaurant
Music in the Kitchen
I went to Pianovins with a food-blogger friend who had already been there, loved it and reviewed it. When he arrived, co-owner Éric Mancio – who, along with his partner, chef Michel Roncière, worked for Guy Savoy for many years – … Read More
JR: Momentum
Visual Messages Writ Large
Anyone who has seen the moving film Visages Villages by director Agnès Varda and photographer JR was probably especially touched, as I was, by the sweet-natured and talented JR. This young (now 35) Frenchman became famous for his guerrilla wheatpasting … Read More
La Traversée Restaurant
Upstairs, Downstairs: Same Good Food
Montmartre is home to many, many restaurants, but rare are those that are truly worth eating in. La Traversée, a local favorite for my friends who live in Montmartre, is a bit off the beaten track, but it’s worth the … Read More
Cubism
Academic Treatment for 'Little Cubes'
Why did painted images start to crack up, as if seen in a broken mirror, under the hands of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in 1907? As you will learn if you visit the exhaustive exhibition “Cubism,” covering the period … Read More
Chez Phung
Ladies in the Kitchen
There was no room at the restaurant where I had reserved a table for two for lunch because I had screwed up the date, so my friend and I went off in search of a substitute. We didn’t have to … Read More
Private Collections: A Journey from the Impressionists to the Fauves
Out from Behind Closed Doors
It is always a pleasure to peek behind closed doors and discover some of the treasures private art collectors normally keep to themselves. And it is always a pleasure to visit the Musée Marmottan Monet, a hunting pavilion near the Bois … Read More