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

Marine Le Pen’s Visit to New York: Trump Tower, Not Trump

A spokesman for Mr. Trump said the president-elect had not met with the French far-right leader, but her stop at Trump Tower clearly wasn’t by chance.

PARIS — It was an undeniably public cup of coffee. When Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader who aspires to the French presidency, was photographed in the Trump Tower cafe, the question was whether she had come to New York for a high-profile meeting with the President-elect Donald J. Trump.

The rumored meeting with Mr. Trump turned out to be just that — a rumor, though speculation persisted on Friday that a meeting could still take place. Her spokesman in France, Alain Vizier, merely said that she was on a “private trip” to the United States
[ . . . ] Read Full Story 

Charlie Hebdo: a sober homage to the victims Place de la République in Paris

Two years after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Hyper Cacher, a few hundred people gathered on Saturday evening at the Place de la République in Paris , In a sober tribute to the 17 victims, whose names were read.

“It’s raining, it’s cold, I’m a little cold, but I still came, because I had to be there,” explained to the AFP, visibly moved, an elderly woman leaning on a cane, which experienced Cabu when drawing in a lecture hall in May 68. the attack against Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper (12 died January 7, 2015), “it’s something, especially as it was the starting point for all What followed after, “she added, referring to the wave of attacks that France has faced in two years.

A “participatory canvas” was unrolled at the foot of the statue, made of colorful hands where dozens of people wrote a message in tribute to the victims. The gathering was announced Friday at the call of the French Association of Victims of Terrorism (AFVT), supported by several organizations including SOS Racisme, Licra and UEJF.”Every day victims need attention, recognition””We could not not be there,” Guillaume Denoix of Saint Marc, general manager of the AfVT, told the press a “I’m still Charlie” sign in hand [. . . ]

Read Full Story: Charlie Hebdo: a sober homage to the victims Place de la République in Paris