Understanding France: National Commemorations of 2018
A selection of 30 of France's 2018 National Commemorations—of saints, queens, and musicians, assassinations, treaties and war, slavery, gastronomy and science—that give insights into various aspects of French history, culture and politics.
Sylvie Deschamps, France’s Master Artist of Gold Embroidery
An interview with Sylvie Deschamps, France's Master Artist of gold embroidery and director of the Bégonia d'Or workshop in Rochefort, an upriver port town in western France. Includes demonstration video.
Camille Claudel’s Great-Niece Shines Light on the Sculptor’s Life and Work
The Camille Claudel Museum in Nogent sur Seine, 65 miles southeast of Paris, not only brings the sculptor out of the shadows of her Auguste Rodin, it also shines light on Claudel’s work as a talented and innovative sculptor in her own right. An interview of Camille Claudel’s great-niece, Reine-Marie Paris, by Janet Hulstrand.
The Painter’s Wife: Aline Charigot Renoir and the Renoir Home in Essoyes
As the village of Essoyes in southern Champagne prepares to open Renoir’s home to the public and the surrounding department of Aube celebrates this as the Year of Renoir, Janet Hulstrand, a part-time American resident of Essoyes, examines the life of Aline Charigot Renoir, wife of the artist and mother of three artists.
Beyond D-Day: Falaise, Normandy Examines the Fate of Civilians in Wartime
Of the 20,000 Normans who died as a direct result of WWII, the majority were killed by Allied bombardments. The effect of war on civilian populations is now the subject of a museum in Falaise, birthplace of William the Conqueror and site, with its surroundings, of the final combat of the Battle of Normandy 1944.
A Couple of Rabbis in Paris
On the morning of January 14, 2015, American Rabbi Tom Cohen and French Rabbi Pauline Bebe, a unique couple in Judaism in France and worldwide, awoke to news that soldiers had arrived outside their respective synagogues in Paris.
A Whiff of Napoleon in Victory and in Defeat
June 18, 2015—Two hundred years ago today Napoleon I (Bonaparte) was defeated at Waterloo. For much of the world (except perhaps for the British) Waterloo speaks far more about the fall of Napoleon and of France’s ambitions in Europe under his leadership than it does of the victory of the forces allied against him and against France.
Do the Rooftops of Paris Have “Outstanding Universal Value”?
Looking out over the rooftops of the city the view is romantic for some, lusty grey for others, a commercial dream for roofers—altogether Paris. In recent months the most attractive view over the capital has been from District Hall of the 9th arrondissement, where District Mayor Delphine Bürkli is spearheading the committee to present the rooftops of Paris as a candidate for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
To Be Charlie: A French Lesson
Paris, January 2015 -- A French lesson: "être Charlie," to believe in the importance of freedom of expression (as the French would call it); a...