Napoleonic art crimes
A new book, Plunder: Napoleon’s Theft of Veronese’s Feast, by Cynthia Saltzman, describes how Veronese’s masterpiece The Wedding Feast at Cana came to hang (legally) in the Louvre. (Artnews) More on Napoleon’s looting of European art to feed French museums: (France24)
Revolution in the French language
The number of new words added to the French dictionary Le Petit Larousse has increased this year, mostly because of the pandemic. (The Local) Meanwhile, the government has banned the use of inclusive writing in schools. (The Local)
Parisian eyesore
What was the no. 1 most-hated building in an informal survey of hideous structures in Europe? The Tour Montparnasse in Paris. We can only agree. (Euronews Travel)
Top schools, poor results
How does the fact that France’s elite universities, which train the majority of governmental and business leaders, affect companies’ performance? (The Conversation)
Saintly myths
St. Bernadette of Lourdes‘ beautifully preserved body is not as incorruptible as the church has claimed. (Atlas Obscura)
Koons condemned in French court
Jeff Koons and the Centre Pompidou have been convicted on appeal of copyright infringement against a photographer. The court also upped the fines imposed. (Artnet News)
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