I Prefer Paris: Proust Un Roman Parisien at Carnavalet Museum

Celebrating the 150^th birthday of France’s most esteemed writer. Marcel Proust, the Carnavalet Museum is throwing a grand party in the form of an exhibition dedicated to him. Marcel Proust, Un Roman Parisien is a two-part exhibition; The first part documents his 52-year life chronologically, from his birth into a wealthy, French bourgeois family, to his formative years, and then his charmed life as a bon vivant in Paris society, which was often plagued by poor health (he regularly suffered from bad asthma attacks), with photos, letters, drawings, paintings, and objects.

Much of the first part of the exhibition focuses on Proust’s living in Paris, first growing up with his parents and younger brother Robert in a spacious, three-bedroom apartment on Boulevard Malesherbes, in the 17^th arrondissement, near Place Madeleine (Proust intensely disliked the neighborhood). The family later moves to the posh part of the 17^tharrondissement near the Parc Monceau, then the wealthiest neighborhood in Paris, and where the rich industrialists and bankers live such as the Camondos and the Rothschilds lived and had their opulent mansions and grand apartments.

After both of his parent die, and his brother moves out to start his own family in 1906, Proust decides the apartment is too big to live alone in and moves to a Haussmann style building at 102 boulevard Haussmann, just down the street from the Jacquemart Andre Museum, which was a former mansion. With a sizable inheritance from his mother, Proust indulged to the max in the hedonistic Belle Epoque lifestyle by frequenting private clubs, balls, and the best restaurants and private salons in the city. His favorite haunts were the Opera Garnier, the Ritz Hotel (where he kept a permanent room), Café Weber, and Maxims. All the while he penned his thoughts and experiences in many books, with his crowning achievement and masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time, consisting of seven volumes. At the end of his life, he moves to the 16^th arrondissement, where he spends the last three years of his life, mostly in bed due to illness.

The second part of the exhibit conveys the imagined and fictional world of La Belle Epoque Paris in Proust’s books, a romantic journey of a much-emulated period in French history, through paintings, artifacts, clothing, and photos.

A highlight of the exhibit, and a permanent display at the Carnavalet, is Proust’s bed, with a royal blue satin bedspread and a handsome iron frame, a black velvet chaise lounge with a tapestry laid on top, and his cane and fur collared, black overcoat.

Part of the show also addresses Proust’s homosexuality, which was closeted because of the social constructs of the time, which he ambiguously channels into his characters.

Marcel Proust, Un Roman Parisien

Until April 10, 2022

https://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/expositions/marcel-proust-un-roman-parisien

Proust's mother Jeanne

Proust's father Achille Adrien

Proust as a boy

His apartment on Blvd. Haussmann

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris.

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9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping

9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping

Each postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock, that enhances the vibrancy of each image. Eye Prefer Paris Postcards come in classic postcard size (6”x 4.25”), perfect for collecting, framing, or sending to that special someone.

Each order is specially hand wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French blue envelope. Postcards take about 4- 7 days to arrive in the U.S.

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection make a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family, and I can write a handwritten note for you and include it in the envelope.

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Cost: $65- Free shipping

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors.

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping

CLICK HERE to order 9 postcards: 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers

Cost: $35 plus $5 shipping

Green Doors