The best of what’s left of the French Crown Jewels – most of which were sold off by the Third Republic in the late 19th century to mark the end of empire – can be seen in the Louvre, but … Read More
When his pictures weren’t downright naughty, they were often breathlessly passionate, but apparently Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), the illustrator of the libertine era par excellence, didn’t practice what he painted. Falsely credited with passionate liaisons with famed courtesans, he was actually … Read More
Bruno Doucet has moved the Saint Honoré branch of his restaurant La Régalade across the street from its original location. The handsome space is larger, with exposed beams and stone walls, red banquettes and dark-wood furnishings.
Feminism was already under serious discussion in enlightened 18th-century France. In 1790, the Marquis de Condorcet (1743–94), for example, published an essay entitled “On the Admission of Women to the Rights of Citizenship” (a right they did not receive until … Read More
Gutenberg’s invention of mechanical movable type in 1450 made printing possible, but the term has an entirely different meaning in the exhibition “Type in Motion” at the Lieu du Design in Paris. This is movable type for the digital age, … Read More
La Maison Bleue is located on the Place Franz Liszt, a square I have never seen in all my years in Paris, even though it is only a 20-minute walk from where I live. Just goes to show how many surprises Paris holds even for longtime residents.
Robert De Niro’s line “You talkin’ to me?” from Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver has entered the language as a popular catchphrase. In “Scorsese: The Exhibition” at the Cinémathèque Française, visitors may well have the impression that Scorsese is talking directly … Read More
Ever wonder what a dancer’s life is like? Claire Patronik, who had studied dance in Paris beginning as a child in hopes of becoming a ballerina but finally gave it up, did. To find out, she looked up some of … Read More
I wanted to see Alexandre Sokourov’s film Francofonia: Le Louvre sous l’Occupation because I am interested in the subject, especially after having read and reviewed the book Saving Mona Lisa: The Battle to Protect the Louvre and Its Treasures During … Read More
Le Mazenay is one of those restaurants whose success you hope for because the people who own it are so adorable but that you worry about because of the large number of empty tables.
The reason for that is not that the food is bad. Au contraire! The food we had there recently was more than ordinarily good.
