Bataclan Banksy
The Bataclan door on which the artist Banksy created an artwork memorializing the people killed there in a terrorist attack in 2015 was stolen in 2019 and recovered a year later in Italy. The eight thieves have now been sentenced for their crime. (Artnews)
Presidential election heats up
Now that French President Emmanuel Macron has finally started campaigning actively, accusations are flying among all the candidates, and Macron is warning against extremism in the week before the first round of the presidential election as some polls project far-right candidate Marine Le Pen as his opponent in the second round of voting. (The Local)
Paris’s multiethnic foodie haven
Belleville, neglected by tourists, is more than worth a visit for its wide variety of cuisines and not-yet gentrified ambiance. (The Guardian)
An artist in her own right
Françoise Gilot, now 100 years old, is seen as one of Picasso’s muses, but she is now being recognized for her own work as a painter. (Scroll down the page to see an interesting Smithsonian video about Sara Murphy, another woman who intrigued Picasso, in 1921.) (Smithsonian Magazine)
To woke or not to woke
The American term “woke” has caused a kerfuffle among French politicians and intellectuals, many of whom do not even seem to understand the meaning of the word. (Grid)
What’s an Anglo-Saxon?
Another misconception can be found in the widespread French use of the term “Anglo-Saxon” to describe the English-speaking world, although they usually really mean the Americans. (The Local)
Favorite