In 1988, Noëlle Tissier, an artist turned feisty culture warrior, set up the Villa Saint Clair in the Mediterranean fishing port of Sète as an incubator for budding talents. Among the younger fellow-artists she nurtured, many went on to win … Read More
I heard it over and over again whenever I mentioned the Bernard Buffet (1928-99) retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris to a friend or acquaintance: “I don’t like him. I’m not going.” From what little … Read More
Like many people, I imagine, I didn’t know that there was much more to the artist Ben Vautier (born 1935 and better known as just “Ben”) than those clever handwritten sayings in white on black seen on walls in Paris … Read More
After creating Spring, with its beautiful, starkly modern decor, American chef Daniel Rose seems to be in a mood for tradition. Aside from his successful venture in New York City, Le Coucou, he has acquired two Paris restaurants with resonant histories, retained their original names, and refreshed the decor and food, updating both but staying in the same vein as the original incarnation.
The exhibition “Mexico 1900-1950” at the Grand Palais aims to go beyond the Diego and Frida double act and provide a taste of the explosion of creative vitality, color and innovation that occurred in Mexico in the early part of … Read More
THESE TWO RESTAURANTS ARE NOW CLOSED I’m all for the concept of “quality” fast food and am glad that it is finally catching on in Paris. Not only has the American chain Five Guys, Barack Obama’s favorite burger joint, opened … Read More
“Hergé,” the exhibition devoted to the Belgian graphic artist at the Grand Palais, offers some fascinating insights into the method and development of the legendary creator of Tintin. The diverse range of work on display here demonstrates the breadth of … Read More
There were no hints of the delights to come when we entered the restaurant Alliance in the fifth arrondissement, but it was a good sign that the kitchen was fully visible through a rectangular window that stretched across the entire back wall. Chef Toshitaka Omiya and his sous-chef appeared to be laboring away in a fish tank.
Until recently, all I knew about Clermont-Ferrand was that it was a place smack in the middle of France that one passed through on the way to other places and that it is the home of the Michelin tire company. … Read More
Postimpressionist Cache In a Paris Suburb The French Postimpressionist painter Maximilien Luce (1858-1941) bequeathed a hefty collection of his work – over 300 pieces – to the somewhat unfashionable town of Mantes-la-Jolie, west of Paris. Today the town is very … Read More
