Heidi Ellison
From Zurbarán to Rothko
Consolations of Collecting Art
After seeing “From Zurbarán to Rothko: The Alicia Koplowitz Collection” at the Musée Jacquemart-André, I sat down to read about the collection of Spanish billionairess Alicia Koplowitz and quickly became fascinated with her life, fittingly described by a French magazine as … Read More
Gare au Gorille
Feeding Time at the Zoo
I had dropped into Gare au Gorille, a neighborhood restaurant with a hot reputation, for a quick lunch several months ago and loved it, but felt I had to go back for a more leisurely meal to properly assess it. … Read More
L’Amant Double
Psychosexual Gothic Romance
I hate reading reviews of films before I see them because I like to be surprised and want to avoid being influenced by someone else’s opinion. I do, however, try to get a sense of whether a film is a … Read More
Les Fantômes d’Ismaël
Hitchcock, Bergman, Truffaut? Non!
The popular French film director Arnaud Desplechin is back with a new movie, Les Fantômes d’Ismaël (Ismael’s Ghosts), which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This is another one of the director’s sprawling, apparently autobiographical, angst-ridden psychodramas, so sprawling that … Read More
Paris Update Events 24.05.17
Left Bank gallery crawl > Open house at 50 galleries for Art Saint Germain des Prés. Various venues, Paris, May 18-June 3. Gold in galleries “Passage” ((2017), by Aude Herlédan. At 1831 Art Gallery during Carré Rive Gauche. > The … Read More
Paris Top Sexual City
Sexy City
Few will be surprised to hear it, but according to a study conducted by an adult app store, Lazeeva, Paris is the world’s most sex-positive city, followed by Rio de Janeiro and Los Angeles. “Sex-positive” was defined as “having … Read More
Albion
Post-Brexit Franco-British Amity
One might be forgiven for thinking that a restaurant with the name Albion serves British food, but one would be wrong. True, the chef is British, but he was off on a six-month globetrot when we were there, and even … Read More
PHOTO OF THE WEEK 24.05.17
The view from the Théâtre de l"Odéon at dusk. Photo: Françoise Deberdt-Meunier
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Le Bel Ordinaire
Le Bel Ordinaire
THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED Le Bel Ordinaire is a rarity in France: a restaurant/shop funded by crowdsourcing. A goodly amount must have been raised to finance this handsome restaurant/fine grocery with a long wooden table running down the center … Read More
Sérénissime! Venise en Fête de Tiepolo à Guardi
Party Town: Venice’s Swan Song
The glorious millennium of the Venetian Republic came to a definitive end in 1797 with Napoleon’s invasion and the forced abdication of the doge. Even in its final days during the 18th century, however, the city, flush after several decades of … Read More