The Riches of Poor Art “Igloo di Giap” (1968), by Mario Merz. © Centre Pompidou/Dist. RMN-GP © Adagp, Paris 2016 For the past few millennia, fine art has mostly been the exclusive preserve of the affluent, who could afford the … Read More
If Poussin Painted Like a Child “La Varenne Saint-Hilaire, la Barque” (1913). © Richard Nathanson, London/ADAGP, Paris 2016 At first glance, many of the paintings of Albert Marquet (1875-1947) look simple, almost childlike. There is great power in that simplicity, … Read More
A Partial Look at The Painter’s Painter “The Toilet of Venus” (c. 1647-51). © The National Gallery Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) is justly considered one of the world’s all-time great painters – Manet called him “the painter’s painter” and “the greatest … Read More
Cro-Magnon Cave Art Pays a Visit to Paris “The Black Cow.” Photo © Denis Nidos I have never had the opportunity to visit the original Lascaux caves (closed to the public since 1963 because of the damage to the wall … Read More
Paris Update Art Notes MYTH OF THE ARTIST DECONSTRUCTED “L’Aimable Surprise,” by Bastien Aubry and Dimitri Broquard. As if Paris didn’t have enough museums and galleries, there are also many little-known art spaces hidden away in the suburbs just waiting … Read More
The Fondation Cartier has done Parisians a favor by organizing the vibrant exhibition “Beauté Congo,” a survey of nearly a century of painting, sculpture, photography and music in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With a refreshing burst of color … Read More
Paris Update Art Notes CITY’S ART MORE ACCESSIBLE “Portrait of George Sand” (1838), by Auguste Charpentier, part of the collection of the Musée de la Vie Romantique. The distinction may not be obvious to most visitors, but some of Paris’s … Read More
Painting Through the Eyes of Others “Femmes à cheval à Robinson” (1887). © D.R. Emile Bernard (1868-1941) is a painter whose work I have occasionally had an intriguing glimpse of in various group exhibitions, but retrospectives of his work seem … Read More
Magic Made of Light and Mirrors Olafur Eliasson’s “Map for Unthought Thoughts” (2014), Photo: Iwan Baan The artist Olafur Eliasson is something of a genius at creating spectacular effects and fabulous illusions using the simplest of means, a talent … Read More
Prison Break-ins, Fathers and Sons, and More “Intérieur d’une Cellule” (2010). © Grégoire Korganow pour le CGLPL There are no real links between the new crop of photography exhibitions at Paris’s Maison Européenne de la Photographie, but each one of … Read More
