Seduction, Wealth and the Skirt-Chasers of the Marais
Thirza Vallois recounts tales of seduction and wealth and the skirt-chasers of the Marais, including Victor Hugo, DSK, a duke, a king and a playwright.
Hôtel de la Marine: Glimpses of Decorative Splendor and Onto Paris’s Largest Square
Six years after France’s Naval Ministry vacated its monumental headquarters in Paris facing Place de la Concorde, the public now has access to the 18th-century Hôtel de la Marine whose new museum presents a dozen painstakingly restored historic rooms and an impressive view out to the square. The building also houses a chic café, an upscale restaurant and a private art collection.
Part II: Louis XIV’s Versailles. Purgatory and Heaven, War and Peace, Mirrors and Fountains
I’m not sure when my transformation from dread of Versailles to curiosity occurred—while listening to our guide, while visiting the Little Theater, while strolling...
Nissim de Camondo Museum: The Glory and the Tragedy
The Nissim de Camondo Museum overlooking Parc Monceau in Paris presents an extraordinary collection of 18th-century decorative arts, reveals the technology and services of an ultra-modern early-20th-century home, and tells of the life and times of the de Camondo family as bankers, philanthropists, collectors and Jews.