Destiny: The Art of Destiny Deacon
Perverting Racist Symbols
When the renowned Australian photographer Destiny Deacon was a little girl, other children were always calling her a “black little c**t.” When she grew up and started taking photographs, she decided to take the “C” out of the word “Black,” … Read More
Devenir (un Autre) Animal
The Animal Within
One of my favorite places in the Paris region is the Domaine de Chamarande. It’s easy to reach by train from Paris (41 minutes, with frequent departures), and it’s only a five-minute walk from the station when you get there. … Read More
Marcel Proust, du Côté de la Mère
Identity Politics in Proust's Great Novel
In Marcel Proust’s great novel, In Search of Lost Time, the main character, Marcel, modeled closely on the author himself, is not Jewish. Proust himself, however, was Jewish through his mother’s side of the family. I have always wondered why … Read More
Musée Départemental Albert-Kahn
Eyes Wide Open
Albert Kahn (1860-1940) was a rich man on a mission: he wanted to capture cultures around the world in photographs and on film for his “Archives of the Planet.” To that end, he sent agents traveling to 50 countries to … Read More
Felix Gonzalez-Torres/Roni Horn
Mutable Identities
A new exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection brings together the work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996) and Roni Horn (b. 1955), two artists who, at first glance, would seem to have little in common except being openly gay. What they … Read More
Boldini: Les Plaisirs et les Jours
Dazzling Visions of a 'Neurotic Era'
Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), an Italian artist who spent most of his long career in Paris, was the fashion influencer par excellence of his day. Stylish Belle Époque women actually went on diets in order to be fit subjects for his … Read More
Algérie Mon Amour
Discovering the Art of Algeria
Algeria is currently in the spotlight here during the 60th anniversary year of the Évian Accords, which ended the bloody eight-year-long Algerian War and led to Algeria‘s independence from France. One very welcome commemoration of this historical moment is the … Read More
Sophie Calle: The Ghosts of Orsay
Haunted Hotel
The artist Sophie Calle is a storyteller whose tales are told in photographs and texts that dredge her memory and transform her personal experiences into something universal we can all relate to, whether they deal with love, heartbreak, death or … Read More
Albert Edelfelt & Akseli Gallen-Kallela
Race to the Finnish
Is it an invasion from the north? Yes, but of a rather more gentle kind than we are seeing in Ukraine right now. For several years now, various Paris museums have been spotlighting the work of Nordic artists, notably in … Read More
Alicia Paz: Juntas
A Circle of Friends
The exhibition “Juntas” is part of an evolving three-exhibition project undertaken by the artist Alicia Paz, with each show adapted to its location, first in two locations in Britain and now at the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Paris. For … Read More