Cute, Kitsch and Tacky Gifts from France’s National Museums
You can’t take the art from the Louvre, the Orsay or Versailles home with you, but you can take home a Venus de Milo tchotchke, a Marie-Antoinette manicure set, a Mona Lisa serving tray, and an I Louvre You teddy bear.
Japanese Artist Kojiro Akagi Examines the Spirits of Paris
Corinne LaBalme reports from the 8th arrondissement gallery whose owner/curator Chozo Yoshii brings Franco/Japanese fusion to Paris and a Montparnasse artistic landmark to the shadows of Mount Fuji.
Cookbook Beat: Le Grand Cours de Cuisine Ferrandi
The Ferrandi School, the most hands on of Parisian culinary academies, has come out with a mega-cookbook for amateurs and professionals looking to hone their culinary skills and try recipes from simple to gastronomical.
Luxury Silversmith Maintains Tradition of French Savoir-Faire in the Northern Marais
The formerly workaday neighborhood of the northern Marais has been increasingly gentrified over the past 15 years, but something that hasn’t changed is the discreet presence of one of France’s few remaining creators of luxury silverware, tableware and decorative accessory: Lapparra.
Shopping: Maron Bouillie by Marie Bouillon
I keep confusing Marie Bouillon and Maron Bouillie. One is the designer with an infectious smile and the other is the brand with lilting humor.
Saint Leonard de Noblat: 500 Years of Paper Production
The Moulin du Got in Saint Leonard de Noblat (Haute-Vienne) is a wonderful example of a living historical site as it combines an artisanal papermaking factory, a print shop, an exhibition gallery and hands-on programming for all ages.
Aubusson Tapestries: Weavers, Spinners, Dyers, Cartoonists and the Cité Internationale
The International Center of Aubusson Tapestry represents far more than a pat on the back to the history of tapestry-making in the Creuse region. It also reaffirms and encourages the continuity of know-how for the entire branch of tapestry-related activities in Aubusson, Felletin and elsewhere in Creuse.
Fish-Skin Leather Artisan Brings Siberian Tradition to Dordogne
Hidden in the Dordogne hills on a narrow street of the village of Fanlac, Janet Duignan discovers the marriage of ancient Siberian tradition and European craftsmanship in Kristof Mascher's fish leather handbags, belts and cases.
Street Art: Gilles Sacksick, the Animal Painter… and Artist
A photo vignette about street art and scaffolding covers, featuring animals at the National Veterinary School in Maisons-Alforts, a wall painted with attitude in Paris's 10th arrondissement and the capital's historical judicial complex where, sadly, everyone is now sentenced to Life.