Category: Culture

For a Modest Price, the Streets of Paris Can Be Yours – The New York Times

The cobblestones of Paris have seen some things. They were trodden by jaunty French soldiers in 1914 and jubilant Free French liberators in 1944, and were rolled over by the tumbrels of 1793 and the panzers of 1940. They were hurled at the police and piled in barricades in 1848 and 1968. They’ve been shown rain-slicked in countless paintings and photographs.

And now you can own one. Used Paris cobblestones are being offered for sale online at Mon Pavé Parisien, spruced up and suitable for showcasing on a mantel or étagère anywhere in the world [ . . . ] Read Full NY Times story

Je t’aime: The Story of French Song

The problem with many music documentaries is that they suffer from over-familiarity. In a bid to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, they end up spreading themselves too thinly on an area already well covered. Viewers tune in and, largely speaking, have their knowledge reaffirmed while they hang around on the off-chance that there may be some newly uncovered archive footage to make their investment worthwhile. There are notable exceptions to this, of course, and generally they crop close on their subject, or as in the case of Je t’aime: The Story of French Song, focus on an area that has been long neglected – indeed by many outside France it has simply been dismissed. […]

Source: Je t’aime: The Story of French Song, BBC Four | The Arts Desk

Family Pictures | Maison Européenne de la Photographie 

Family is sacred and is often the first thing we capture on camera. And the Maison Européene de la Photographie is exhibiting candid family shots taken by many eminent artists. For example, Harry Callahan’s devotion for his wife Eleanor; who he photographed naked from all angles in magnificent chiaroscuro. Richard Avedon’s admiration for his father when he was suffering from cancer, is expressed in a series of seven modest and respectful portraits which nevertheless caused a scandal when they were exhibited for the first time at MoMA in 1974. [ . . . ]

Full Story & Slideshow: Family Pictures | Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP) | Art in Paris