Heidi Ellison
Django Restaurant
In Tune with the Times
It’s true that Parisians (myself included) were not taking the call for social distancing during the coronavirus crisis seriously. When my friend Frances and I arrived at Django last Friday night, the place was packed. Revelers were making so much … Read More
Otto Freundlich: La Révélation de l’Abstraction
The Cosmic Bridge of Art
Imagine that you are an artist arriving in Paris for the first time in 1908. Right away, you are offered a studio in the Bateau Lavoir in Montmartre, where you immediately meet and befriend Pablo Picasso, followed by many of … Read More
Le Coucou Café
Nutty in a Nice Way
There’s nothing nutty about the Coucou Café (except in the food) – the word doesn’t mean “crazy” in French and is used as a friendly way to say “hi.” Located in Paris’s ninth arrondissement, the place has had some great … Read More
L’État Sauvage
Calamity Jeanne Rides Again
A feminist French Western? Well, why not? Just about every other imaginable kind of Western has already been made, so not much else is left. L’État Sauvage (Savage State), directed by David Perrault, takes place in 1861 during the American … Read More
Les Parisiens dans l’Exode
Refugees Without Refuge
Of all the horrors that occurred during World War II, the mass exodus from Paris in 1940 as the Germans approached the city may not have been the most horrendous, which may explain why the story has been so seldom … Read More
Aspic Restaurant
Unspoiled by Success
Aspic, which would appear to be just a tiny (seats 20), unassuming neighborhood restaurant, is anything but. Opened four years ago, it built a reputation for itself online and attracted a clientele of 80 percent Americans and other foreign visitors, … Read More
National Therapy by Peter Johansson
Demolishing National and Personal Demons
There are only a few days left to see “National Therapy by Peter Johansson” at the Institut Suédois. Dark yet very funny, the show, like all of Johansson’s work, casts a bemused eye on traditional Swedish symbols and stars the … Read More
Chantoiseau Restaurant
Singing for Supper
Chantoiseau is another addition to the growing roster of fine restaurants in Montmartre. The pretty name means “birdsong,” and the meal certainly had us singing with pleasure. It turns out, though, that the restaurant is named after Mathurin Roze de … Read More
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
On a Slow Burn
I am rather late in seeing Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), directed by Céline Sciamma, but the movie, released in the United States on Valentine’s Day, is topical once again. It is … Read More
Fluidités: L’Humain qui Vient
Far-out Visions for Humanity
Le Fresnoy–Studio National des Arts Contemporains, in the small city of Tourcoing just outside of Lille, is a hotspot where art and technology meet and merge. Its current exhibition, “Fluidités: L’Humain qui Vient,” gives 16 artists a chance to explore … Read More