Paris has my heart

I travel a lot to Europe not only for business but definitely for pleasure too. When I lived in Europe, I visited Paris at least two weekends a month. My Maman is partially Parisian and attended college in France [Sorbonne, Fontaine Blue]. Not so long ago I spoke with a friend about my traveling aspirations, and asked him if he would care to see some pictures of Paris. His response made me laugh and frown at the same time. He asked me how I started my acquaintance with Paris, and if she really is as shallow as it appeared...I responded that I was One Night In Paris myself and that the streets were quite broad due to all the traffic [ remember her famous video..]

Paris is as close to home for me as Amsterdam is. Quartier Latin and the Romantic walks dans La Seine it's magical Last Fall Accrochages (group shows) prevailed for the most part in the galleries that fan out over the city, so there was lots to see, even if it wasn't quite up to what you'll find at the height of the season. There is no equivalent of ArtScene to offer you an overall picture. Exhibitions included work by a few American artists, among them Lucas Samaras and Ed Paschke, the latter at Darthea Speyer, who tends to favor Chicago artists. Erika Rothenberg was showing at a new gallery, Praz/de la Vallade, with work that was seen in L.A. at Rosamond Felsen. Praz/de la Vallade is a sparkling space, one of a string that opened in April to form a gallery street at the Chevaleret Metro stop in the 13th arrondissement, and creating something like a straight-lined Bergamot Station. The focus tends toward younger artists, and it is already on its way to becoming a gathering place, with a café in the midst that is doing a lively business.
At Lucien Durand, also on the Left Bank a great exhibition with a show of women photographers that included Nan Goldin and Cindy Sherman, as well as Bertrand Lavier at Denise René, and Léonor Fini (whose career began while still in her teens and continued into her 90s) at Galerie Dionne. Across the Seine, along Rue Jacques Callot, Templon showed Malcolm Morley, Lelong had Sean Scully's new work, the late Martin Kippenberger was on view at Sylvana Lorenz, and Niki de Saint-Phalle and her late husband, the great kinetic assemblagist Jean Tinguely were featured at JGM.

The Centre Georges-Pompidou is a great period piece. To me it is an acknowledged lynchpin of the scene--even though people rightfully continue to deplore the escalator that slowly rises to the main entrance across the building's face. Inside, a huge Fernand Léger retrospective opened The press preview combined with the members' opening was at best too crowded to see the art. In the evening, another "vernissage" took place. On another floor at the Pompidou was held Made in Paris, consisting of work drawn from the collection. I saw the Parisness of it, to wit, the touch of decorativeness that seemed to prevail overall. The Louvre was on strike but over at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris was the huge Années 30 en Europe: Le Temps Menaçant, 1929-1939, in its final days. Dealing with the decade that began with Jeudi Noir--the onset of the Depression--and ended with the German invasion of Poland that set off World War II, it presented all of the prevailing movements and styles of the period. Including both propaganda art and design added up to too much for a single visit.
Although the near six-pound catalogue is probably nowhere near a record, the show invited what has to be the longest hike to be taken in a Paris museum, as well as work in countries not associated with major trends. In many cases their most important artists, for example the Catalonian Picasso or the Dutch-born Piet Mondrian, had long departed from their native homeland. Others, among them Kurt Seligmann, Yves Tanguy and the already once expatriated Mondrian, emigrated to the United States during the War.
Along with examples of abstraction--especially that relating to the Abstract/Concrete movement that began in 1929, and Surrealism, much of the art here is drawn from European museums, and has never been exhibited in America. There were a good many commanding works by artists who are little known or unknown at home, among them the Polish sculptor Katarzyna Kobro, an abstractionist whose studio was detroyed by the Nazis, and Dutch Social Realist Charley Toorop. Her name aside, Toorop was a woman, and one among a substantial circle of like-minded artists from the low countries. Much of the work related to the history of the period. The Spanish Civil War, Fascism in Italy and Naziism in Germany, along with what in England was called the "Pink Decade," which referred to the mobilization of artists, scientists, and writers who united against fascism.
Années was the highlight among the attractions encountered on this visit. As usual, there was not enough time to cover everything on my list. Next time, hopefully in the early fall when the 2008-2009 season opens, I will be there for a deeper look.

Enjoy some of my Paris pictures [not Paris Hilton] Of course my conversation with that individual swifted from Arts to Celebrities Gossip...

Hugzzz Dahlings,


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