Art Of The Day Weekly

Paris of the future

PARIS – While the future of the Halles district has finally been decided, are there any other mega-projects on the back burners for the French capital? We are only at the study stage but the involvement of major international experts to explore the Paris of the future gives us an idea of what is to come … At the beginning, president Sarkozy expressed the wish at the inauguration of the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine, on 17 September 2007, that «a new global development project of the greater Paris» may be the object of an international consultation. Obviously the operation has a controversial dimension since in a way it cuts out Paris mayor, Bertrand Delanoë. The result of nine months of work will be presented this week at the Cité de l’architecture: from Richard Rogers to Christian de Portzamparc, from Winy Maas to Roland Castro, including Jean Nouvel, ten groups of architects and town developers have drawn up their scenarios. We would have loved to tell you ourselves, but the total lack of organization of the inauguration prevented us from entering as many other guests. Before organizing the Greater Paris, it will be necessary to think about arranging the reception area of this new and yet fascinating museum.

The greatness of the Savoy

TORINO – The splendours of the court are back in fashion. While Versailles is celebrating the Great French century, Palazzo Madama is reliving the great hours of the Savoy dynasty. Most of the pieces exhibited come from the museum’s own funds and from the Biblioteca Reale of Torino, as well as from the Louvre, the Bibliothèque nationale in France or the Biblioteca Estense in Modena, and offer a wide variety of art pieces. Illuminated manuscripts by Tommaso Bergonio, music instruments, jewels, silverware, china and ceremonial clothes show that the preparation of Carnival time, of weddings or princely baptisms were taken very seriously. In particular at the time of the two Royal Madames, the respective wives of the dukes at the beginning and at the end of the XVIIth century, Christine de France and Marie-Jeanne-Baptiste de Nemours.

The website of the Palais des Beaux-Arts

Gallé, the Japanese

VIC-SUR-SEILLE – This little town in the Moselle region is known for being the birth place of Georges de La Tour. The museum that bears his name and which houses his famous Saint John the Baptist in the desert and a collection of French, XVII century painting, is temporarily widening its centres of interest. Until the end of the summer it will be hosting an exhibition dedicated to another native artist, Emile Gallé, and to the influence of Japan on his work. In order to track down the anemones, the begonias, the mayflies, the carps and the pelicans he disseminated throughout his vases and cups, the director of the museum, Gabriel Diss, has taken on an original curator, François Le Tacon, a doctor in microbiology. Gallé’s Japanism is dissected in more than 150 pieces – ceramics, preliminary drawings, work on glass – that come from Japan, Russia, Denmark, Germany and various French museums.

Keller, a revival

ZURICH – This is a new discovery. At the end of the XIXth century, Albert von Keller (1844-1920) was a real European star. The founder of the Munich Secession, a painter of the high society, author of nudes that are slightly shocking, gruesomely pale and immobile, a music lover (he admired Chopin and Wagner, and was himself an excellent pianist), he was as well-known as his competitors of the time, Franz von Stück or Lovis Corinth. Of course the exhibition includes Resurrection of Jaïre’s daughter from the Munich Pinakothek, his major work. It is well placed among the 130 works – this is the first important retrospective in the last century.

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The icons of photography

PARIS – It starts with images from Nadar’s workshop and Sicilian peasants by Von Gloeden. It continues with engineering works by Baldus, industrial views by Margaret Bourke-White and Germaine Krull, advertising still lives by Emmanuel Sougez and François Kollar, beautiful portraits by Denise Colomb and Inge Morath, landscapes by Lucien Hervé, Le Corbusier’s faithful companion… And others by Boubat, Halsman, Dennis Stock. In short, a glance at some great classics representing more than a century of photography. Whether it is period prints or posthumous ones, the prices vary between 1 000 and 2 000 euros except for a Giacometti taken by Cartier-Bresson or the geometric compositions by Aaron Siskind, that could go for more than 5 000 euros.