Heidi Ellison
Persona: Strangely Human
Uncanny Perceptions: What's Human, What's Not?
We humans are so vain that we like to see representations of ourselves everywhere and attribute our own thoughts and emotions to other creatures. “Persona: Strangely Human,” a new exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly, explores this anthropomorphizing tendency … Read More
Venise sous Paris
Dressing UpIs the Best Revenge At Venise sous Paris. All photos on this page by Audrey O’Reilly. It was billed as the “party of the century”: a Venetian Carnival ball to be held at the end of January in a … Read More
Musée Rodin
Musée Rodin Redone: Less Bohemian, More Elegant
It is strangely quiet now in the newly renovated Rodin Museum, located in the 18th-century Hôtel Biron. The handsome Versailles parquet, now shored up to support the weight of the master’s heavy statues, makes nary a squeak (it used to … Read More
Ai Weiwei
AI WEIWEI AT PLAY
Ai Weiwei, the superstar Chinese artist and courageous activist, left China and moved to Berlin following the return last year of his passport, taken from him when he was jailed by the Chinese authorities for three months in 2011. His … Read More
Botanique
Upstairs, Downstairs: Gourmet Tasting and Tapas
A friend with a sharp eye spotted Botanique even before it opened, when its pretty little two-story yellow-brick building with a long row of windows was being renovated. A couple of months after the opening, she invited me to dinner upstairs in the “gastronomic” dining room, where a tasting menu is served in the evening.
Doggy Bags
WOOF!: AN ANTI-WASTE DEVICE
Until I ordered a steak that turned out to be the size of a 33-rpm record at the bistro Savy a few years ago, I never felt the need to ask for a doggy bag in a French restaurant. Servings … Read More
Brasserie Thoumieux
Plus Ça Change… Old/New Brasserie
Once upon a time, Thoumieux was a much-loved brasserie with a wonderful, rather rundown old-fashioned decor and mediocre food. Whenever I found myself in the seventh arrondissement with a group of friends, it was the fallback restaurant; they all wanted to go there.
Le Marais en Héritage(s)
The Marais: Before and After
It’s difficult to believe that the Marais, today a bastion of elegance – as it was when its graceful hôtels particuliers were built in the 17th century – was for much of the 20th century a grimy, dilapidated, poverty-stricken quartier … Read More
Sepik: Arts of Papua New Guinea
SURREAL INSPIRATIONS Only two weeks left to see a spectacular exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly: “Sepik: Arts of Papua New Guinea” (through Jan. 31). The surprising and fascinating objects are beautifully displayed and arranged according to the way … Read More
Villa Flora: Les Temps Enchantés
Collectors of Art and Artists
Wealth combined with good taste and an eye for the new often leads to the creation of a great art collection. That was the case with the Swiss couple Hedy Bühler and Arthur Hahnloser, who in the early 20th century … Read More