The Maison Rouge is a unique space in Paris. It’s not the only foundation for contemporary art, but it is the only one to be founded by an individual rather than a business. Moreover, Antoine de Galbert, founder, president and collector distances himself from the glitz of the contemporary art scene. He was recently quoted [...]
Antoine Watteau and the art of engraving is a small show in the north west corner of the Cour Carré of the Louvre (second floor). Watteau died young, at the age of 37 but left his mark on French Roccoco art – not least due to the prolific engraving of his paintings and drawing. Indeed [...]
Alchemy Box, an exhibition of works recently acquired by Frac Ile-de-France (regional contemporary art body), is all about montage. From its cinematic sense to collage and the juxtaposition of 3D objects.
Morgan Fisher’s ( ) is a film made entirely of extracts of inserts, that is film shots from alternative view-points that act as a link in the [...]
Slideluck Potshow is the latest in low budget community jolly turns international phenomenon. Started by photographer Casey Kelbaugh in his backyard in New York, Slideluck Potshow is (almost) exactly what it says on the tin: a potluck meal (bring your own dish, buffet style) and a slideshow of photography, with a view to connecting like-minded [...]
Dreamland theme-park, Coney Island, 1910
Dreamlands takes Paris’ Exposition Universelle of 1889 as its starting point and explores some of the more extravagant architectural experiments and artists’ impressions of world expos, theme-parks and modern cities. Taking its title from the Coney Island theme-park, Dreamland, which burned down in 1911, the show is loosely [...]
Abbas Kiarostami, Wall #17, 2009
Hot on the heels of his Cannes success (Juliette Binoche was awarded for her role in his film Certified Copy), Iranian filmmaker and photographer, Abbas Kiarostami is exhibiting at Galerie de France.
Kiarostami’s Walls series is self-explanatory – close-ups shots of walls block out horizons, concentrating on shadows and textures. The banal [...]
Tomorrow is La Nuit des Musées in Paris, and all over France. Many national museums and cultural institutions are offering free entry until the wee hours of the morning. Full details here.
* Ben Stiller will not be making an appearence
Martin Parr, from “Common Sense”, 1995 – 1999
To avoid becoming jaded and overly critical, The Great Exposition is taking a holiday.
There are plenty of great shows on in Paris to be going on with (see below)
Back at the end of the month dingbats!
Saint Boris and Saint Gleb, Novgorod, mid 14th century
Saint Russie (“Holy Russia”) is a show of Russian religious art, from it’s foundations in the 10th century to the reign of Peter the Great, when Russia began to look towards the West for its cultural inspiration. Many of the pieces on display have been lent from [...]
If her current show at Galerie Chantal Crousel is anything to go by, it’s not easy to define Mona Hartoum’s oeuvre. This small show of recent works includes furniture, maps, glass and barbed wire as materials. Although the works do not form a coherent aesthetic they are united by their poetic nature. An installation of heavy-looking [...]