On the 11th Hour on the 11th Day in the 11th Month

Kelly & Adrian in the monitor Kelly & Moby Paris Photo the Grand Palais in flowers Cindy Sherman, Untitled #584, 2018 Good Dogs on Nice Furniture Brothers, by Bastiann Woudt The Femen protester in action Paris Against Trump Rally at Place de la République, Photo by John Viescas

Another House Hunters International episode is now “in the can,” so to speak. We spent the week traipsing in and out of apartments with “contributor” Kelly Pruitt and her pup, Moby, to find the perfect apartment in Paris for both of them. Her dream was to live in Le Marais, and while one apartment fulfilled that wish, the others were in the outer districts at a much lower cost.

Kelly had a tough decision to make, because all the apartments had attributes worth considering. One was a large studio overlooking a beautiful park in the 11th, another one on two levels in the heart of the Marché d’Aligre neighborhood and the third one close to my own apartment in the 3rd arrondissement…just where she dreamed of being.

Moby was Kelly’s side-kick who was a real trooper all during the taping process, in spite of the rain and the retakes. What Moby wants is likely what Moby will get, but you won’t know the outcome until the show airs months from now. No worries. We’ll keep you posted so that you can be some of the first to view it.

In between the taping schedule, Paris Photo at the Grand Palais seduced me as it always does to visit it twice — opening night and again on Saturday. This was the 22nd edition. It’s the largest international art fair dedicated to the photographic medium with up to 200 exhibitors from across the world. Having begun collecting photography in the late 1980s, I have come to know several of the gallerists with whom I love to pay a special visit.

The iron railing leading to the upper level of the magnificent iron and glass structure was adorned on opening night by a plethora of flowers. It made for quite an elaborate and beautiful showing. The JP Morgan Chase Art Collection was on display on the upper level featuring such iconic artists as Atget, Brathwaite and Friedlander.

Some of my own favorite photos at the show were Cindy Sherman’s  “Untitled #584, 2018” — four very different, but very similar women (all Sherman, of course), reminding me of me and my three sisters; William Wegman’s “Good Dogs on Nice Furniture” that just must make one smile and Bastiaan Woudt’s “Brothers,” for being simply powerful.

Every year that I attend the fair I get the urge to buy more photos and then I remember there are no walls left in my apartment. My photographer daughter wants to know why her own photos don’t adorn our walls, to which I have always replied, “When your work is museum quality, they will go up!” She thinks it’s mean and I think it’s incentive for her to strive toward that endeavor. I suppose now it’s time I take heart, since Sotheby’s Institute of Art is presenting this coming Wednesday “A Body of Art: Phenomenological Viewings,” a group show featuring (none other than) photography by (my daughter) Erica Simone and a tattoo installation by Citizen Ink. 

If you are in the New York area and want to attend, here’s the scoop:

Sotheby’s Art Institute Presents
NUE YORK & A BODY OF ART
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
6 to 9 p.m.
345 East 104th Street
Ground Floor
New York, NY 10029

For more information and to register for the event here. 

Sunday under umbrellas in the constant rain, the French capital celebrated Armistice Day having taken place at the 11th hour on the 11th day in the 11th month in 1918. This is when the armistice to end all wars (ha! was that a joke?) was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France. Dozens of world leaders met here in Paris for the inauguration of the Paris Peach Forum, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron with speeches by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

“US President Donald Trump chose not to attend the forum, instead delivering Veterans Day remarks at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial in the suburbs of Paris.” (Source: France24.com) In this morning’s report, the French national news channel used the word “snubbed” instead of “chose not to attend.” We got a good laugh yesterday when we heard that Mr. T. had a bit of a surprise — a bare-breasted protester from the Femen activist group ran towards his motorcade on the Champs Elysées before being apprehended by police.

Just before Trump landed in France, for the second time this year, he tried to pick a fight with Macron by tweeting that his suggestion of an EU army was “very insulting.” Oy vey. This reminds me of two little boys in a sand box. One’s a bully and the other just trying to stand up to him.

Due to rain and an overwhelming amount of things to do to catch up after taping all week, I missed the Paris Against Trump rally at Place de la République yesterday afternoon, which normally I wouldn’t have. One of our readers sent a few photos from the event.

In light of the interesting comments we received after a recent Parler Paris Nouvellettre®, I’d like to make something very clear to our readers. I’ve been writing about life in Paris from the point of view of an American (namely me) since 1998. I have the freedom of speech to say what I want. No one pays me and no one edits my words. The publications are free. Subscribers can unsubscribe if they like, read them or not. People can agree or disagree with what I have to say. Everyone involved has a freedom of speech and choice.

The question is: How can I write about life in Paris as an American without writing about one things that greatly affects American Expats — U.S. politics? Some readers said they’d wish I’d just “stick to real estate.” Well, I do that every Thursday in French Property Insider, but Parler Paris and Parler Nice are “Your taste of life in Paris (or Nice) and France!” And that life includes how we, as Americans, are affected by what happens in the U.S. and how it relates to our lives here in France.

You readers don’t need to agree with my point of view, but I’m not asking you to. What I would appreciate however, is a valid argument to make me see the other side of the coin, rather than telling me that I don’t have a right to my own opinion, or that I should just “stick to real estate.” That’s a cop out from the other side who don’t really have much of an argument — they just don’t want to hear what anyone else has to say.

I on the other hand, I am listening. Give me a reason to feel that this current administration cares about me, as a tax-paying American. Because from what I see, it doesn’t.

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Adrian Leeds Group

 

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P.S. Don’t miss Janet Hulstrand at tommorow’s Après Midi. See the details below and make your plans to be there!