Manifestations Place du Palais Royal

We saw our share of demonstrations, street art, and public theater in Paris. But only once did I see politically-motivated Aquascript (TM).

On the occasion of la Journée Mondiale de l'Eau (World Water Day), April 12, 2010, basic-needs NGO Solidarité International sponsored an art installation that used carefully timed droplets of water to depict bombs and form words saying things like, "I am the leading cause of death, more than . . ." and the same thing in French. I didn't get shots of all the words, but I did get a few of the bombs and a skull-and-crossbones. Sorry it's all backwards - I caught this while still mounted on a Vélib' on my way to the library.

Pretty nifty, eh? You can see a video if the set-up and full execution of the installation at Aquascript's website (see above).

The Place du Palais Royal's placement across from an entrance to the Louvre makes it one of the most central, most visible public spaces in the city. As such, there are new demonstrations, art installations, and events almost every week. It's a spot that's worth passing by often, and once you're there, plan on making like this Aquascript installation - just go with the flow.

A Morning with Leslie and Ilona

Back in the day during Dimi's visit, we managed to get together with one of Dimi's best friends, Leslie, who happened to be on an art tour in France with her friend, Ilona. You've already heard about our out-of-this-world lunch at Fish La Boissonnerie, but before lunch was even the hint of a rumble in our bellies, we started our day by visiting the Musée de l'Orangerie.

Located at the far end of the Tuileries from the Louvre, the Musée de l'Orangerie (as its name suggests) originally sheltered the Emperor's orange grove, starting in 1852. By 1870, apparently disdainful of the health benefits of oranges the Third Republic used the building as storage, a test-taking facility, a barracks, a venue for sports and music and political rallies and industrial trade shows and dog shows and flower shows, not to mention a paintings exhibition hall. Finally, in 1921, the building was given to the Beaux-Arts administration, who turned it into a modern art museum.


The building's transformation into an art museum took place with a particular work in mind: Claude Monet had just donated his epic Nymphéas (Waterlillies) series to his country, and asked only that a space be designed to accommodate the uniquely proportioned paintings. Housed in two specially-designed elliptical-shaped rooms that feature skylights covered in diaphanous materials to facilitate the gentle dispersion of natural light, Nymphéas was and remains the main event of the Musée de l'Orangerie. It's easy to see why.

Besides Nymphéas, the museum's permanent collection (donated by the widow of the influential modern art collector Paul Guillaume) includes pieces by Renoir, Manet, Cézanne, Sisley, Derain, Matisse, Picasso, Soutine, Utrillo, and Modigliani. There are quite a few portraits, and it is all extremely good stuff.

(You will get so many brownie points if you can name the artists and piece titles of these four paintings. Mo, good luck.)

The collection supplements what you'll find in the Musée d'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, and for the lover of fin-de-siècle and early-twentieth-century art, the Musée de l'Orangerie is a must-see.

The museum is also a must-see for the lover of Paris city walls, as a fragment of the 16th-century enceinte that protected west end of the Louvre-and-Tuileries complex was unearthed during recent renovations and left visible for museum-goers. 

So cool!

Flying the Colors

There's no reason why we can't be both patriotic and Francophilic (that's not a disease, just in case you were wondering). So here's our attempt at an abstract American flag photo collage.







I never was very good at collage. It would have been so much easier to just save this post for today. Oh well - Happy 4th of July!

Final Photo Challenge (#6)

In order to win our last prize of the year, name the painting, the painter, the museum where you'll find this, and your Zodiac sign.

This time, comments will be hidden while we collect responses. You have until midnight Wednesday to submit your guess. Good luck!

Musée Cognacq-Jay

The Musée Cognacq-Jay houses a collection of 18th-century paintings, sculptures, furniture, and other oddities given to the city of Paris by 20th-century entrepreneurs Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, founders of (the now-closed for reasons of "security" and "renovation") Le Samaritaine department store.

We visited the museum with friends Adam and Rachel and thoroughly enjoyed both the collection and the hôtel particulier that houses it. One of the most intriguing pieces was this titillating painting titled L'amour frivole:

The first thing you notice is likely the creepy guy in the window trying to undress a sleeping maiden. But then, looking closer, you might also see this: 

L'amour frivole is attributed to Swedish artist Jean-Frédéric Schall? That's not a very Swedish name, you think to yourself. And the painting was previously attributed to Pierre-Antoine Baudouin? What's going on here? A bit of googling, and I discovered that L'amour frivole is more likely the work of Niclas Lafrensen, the younger. I understand, however, where the confusion might have come from. This painting by Schall certainly echoes the subject matter of L'amour frivole. 

What do you think? Should I alert the Musée Cognacq-Jay about this faux pas? 

If you go:

Musée Cognacq-Jay

8 rue Elzévir

3rd arrondissement

Métro: Saint-Paul, Chemin-Vert, Rambuteau

Open from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday

Closed Mondays and some holidays

Oh, and it's Free!