Les Muses de Paris (and “Les Musées”)

If you’re regularly reading Parler Paris, then you know that last week I spent three days in Champagne, in the town of Epernay. While the countryside, “La France Profonde,” is seriously beautiful and charming, I was bombarded with emails about all the cultural things Paris currently has to offer and realized that I’m too much of a city girl to give up all that inspiring activity. My daughter arrives in Paris on Wednesday. Already I have a whole list of things I want to do with her in the city while she’s here. If I were in the countryside, none of that would be possible and it’s one of the main reasons I moved to Paris in the first place!
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“In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They are considered the source of the knowledge embodied in poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in these ancient cultures.” (Wikipedia.org) This explains partly why the word “museum,” originally “a seat or shrine of the Muses,” is used to describe institutions or buildings that house and display art objects or works that embody art and culture.
Le Louvre happens to be the number one most visited museum in the world with more than eight million visitors annually. Why are we not surprised? A visit to the celebrated museum is always among the top ten things to do in Paris, if not the world. I make it a point to try to explore at least one museum every weekend when in Paris — an easy thing to do since there are 130 located within the city limits from which to choose!
I’ve already seen the Vasarely Retrospective at the Centre Pompidou, but I could see it again and again. Erica will love it as much as I did and may bring back memories of when we had two Vasarely prints hanging on our walls.
I’ve seen the real King Tut in the Cairo Museum, but a special exhibition is opening this week at the Grande Halle de La Villette I of “Tutankhamun, the Treasures of the Pharaoh,” celebrating the centenary of the discovery of the royal tomb. I refuse to miss this, as I’m not sure anything quite comes close to the seeing the original gold mask of Tutankhamun himself.
Everyone is flocking to the Atelier des Lumières to see the “Van Gogh, La nuit Etoilée” (Van Gogh, Starry Night) for good reason. This is one that is high on the list. The good news is, though, that you don’t need to rush, as it will be on untill December 31st, 2019.
One I might skip is the Piercing exhibition at the Musée de l’Homme, a practice that dates back to Prehistory. I have pierced ears, but that doesn’t help the creepy feeling I get when I see certain exaggerated piercings of the skin. Still, I am sure it’s worth a gander, regardless.
Just opened, the Emil Bührle Collection (Manet, Degas, Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Picasso) will be on untill July 21, 2019 at the Musée Maillol with 60 masterpieces amassed by the German art collector between 1951 and 1956, one of the most prestigious collections in the world.
While I’m not a big fan of Picasso (more because of his misogyny than his art), I battled the crowds Saturday afternoon to see the exhibition Calder-Picasso at the Musée Picasso because Calder is one of my favorites. I was surprised to discover many Picassos I hadn’t seen before and liked in spite of my feelings about the artist! So, put this one on your list, too!
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A la prochaine…
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Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group
(by Erica Simone)
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P.S. A new House Hunters International episode, taped in Nice with John G. Jones last fall, will air for the first time in the United States on HGTV TONIGHT, March 25, 2019 at 10:30 p.m. EST, and will air again three hours later at 1:30 a.m EST.
“Finding a Voice in Nice, France” (Episode 13908):
After having a rough year, a Texas man is taking a daring leap by selling his landlocked house and pursuing a singing career in Nice, France. His good friend and property expert, Adrian Leeds, has pulled off many French miracles in the past but getting her buddy to downsize into a fabulous-yet-affordable home could be her greatest challenge yet.
You may also wish to join me at Après Midi Tuesday, April 9, 2019 as I recount combing the romantic streets of Paris to find the perfect pied-à-terre and journey to the French countryside in search of the ideal home for our clients. Three to four episodes of House Hunters International will be shown and I will talk about my experiences taping the shows. Plus, there will be an open forum to ask questions.
See our Après Midi page for details of April’s session, and for the rest of the year. Be there and come early to get the best seat!
To read more, click the links below.