Musée Bourdelle
Bourdelle Museum Beautified
Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) was a big beast in his lifetime, one of a triumvirate of famed French sculptors, alongside Auguste Rodin and Aristide Maillol. After he died in 1929, his reputation faded, but he’s been rediscovered in recent years, and … Read More
La Fondation du Doute
When in Doubt, Make Art
The words “ebullient” and “irrepressible” are weak when it comes to Ben, the 87-year-old Fluxus artist, who showed up last week at the Fondation de Doute (Doubt Foundation) art center in Blois to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Fluxus … Read More
Le Musée du Verre François Décorchemont
Celebrating a Century of Glass Art
The creation of a new museum in France today is a rare and challenging feat, even more so when it is accomplished by a village with a population of only 5,000. The Musée du Verre François Décorchemont (François Décorchemont Glass … Read More
Musée Franco-Américain du Château de Blérancourt
Helpful Heiress Aids War-Torn France
When you are the daughter of a filthy rich Gilded Age banking tycoon, you would probably be expected to find a rich husband, have children and settle down to a life of luxury. Instead, Anne Tracy Morgan (1873-1952), daughter of … 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
The Louvre’s Egyptian Antiquities Department
Return to Egypt
All the major fine-arts museums in the world, and many smaller ones, have departments devoted to Egypt. One of the best is that of the Louvre, in small part thanks to the spoils Napoleon brought back from the country after … Read More
Hôtel de la Marine
A New Paris Museum
Built by a king, emptied by revolutionaries and then taken over by the French Ministry of the Navy for over two centuries, the palatial Hôtel de la Marine has opened its doors to the public for the first time in … Read More
Musée Carnavalet
Revamped Home for Treasures of Paris History
Anyone who loves Paris has to love the Musée Carnavalet, the museum of the city’s history, located in part in the stately 16th-century mansion in the Marais once occupied by one of its pre-eminent citizens, the famous aristocratic letter-writer Madame … Read More
Musée de la Grande Guerre
The War that Demolished a Civilization
With all the troubles the world is dealing with today, from the pandemic to the environmental devastation and extreme weather events caused by climate change, not to mention violent conflicts and political extremism, it is easy to forget some of … Read More
Reopening of the Galerie d’Apollon
The Crown (à la Française)
The king of France lost his head in 1793, and with him were lost all but one of the crowns that had sat on the heads of his Ancien Régime predecessors. What is left of the crown jewels of France … Read More