I Prefer Paris

Metro Station of the Month: Tuileries

The Tuileries metro station has gone green.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted something in the Metro Station of the Month series.

I’ve stopped at the Tuileries station on the 1-line countless times over the last 18 years, and there wasn’t anything remarkable about it, just a typical metro system. The other day I got off at the Tuileries to meet my clients for a chocolate and pastry tour and was pleasantly surprised when the walls were decorated with a bevy of flowers, fruits, and plants. I couldn’t find any information about the changes at the station, but I will keep you posted.

CLICK HERE to view the  other Metro Stations of the Month.

Two Cool Fashion Accessory Boutiques in Paris

On my Eye Prefer Paris tours, I like to take clients to boutiques where they can find things they can’t back home. I remember coming to Paris before I moved here and having the thrill of discovering one off boutiques on little side streets in Saint Germain and the Marais, where I would buy clothes or accessories and show them off when I returned to New York. Everyone would ask where did you get that shirt or top or shoes or watch, and I would reply with glee, a little boutique on the rive gauche.

On my SOPI/Southern Pigalle tour, there’s a delightful atelier, GabriElle (I love the way she spells the name), where Gabrielle Froidevaux, crafts and creates exquisite leather goods and accessories. Gabrielle designs and hand makes two collections a year in her boutique on a quiet, small street, just across from the Musee de la Vie Romantique. They are all original designs, crafted with the finest calfskin, goat skin, shark skin, snakeskin, lizard, ostrich, and shagreen. The handbags, wallets, credit card cases, jewelry, and belts come in a variety of eye-catching color and color combinations. The prices, which start at 150€ for a wallet and 225€ for purses, are quite reasonable for the high quality and unique designs. Gabrielle can create a made to measure handbag or other accessories.

Before opening her atelier in 2016, Gabrielle was an accessories stylist for eight years at Balmain, Kenzo, Lanvin and Guy-Laroche.

14 rue Henner, 75009

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-7pm

https://gabrielle-froidevaux.com/

Inoui Editions has two boutiques, one in Saint Germain, near the Odeon theatre, and the other in the northern Marais. They stock a collection of beautiful print scarves in bold patterns and vibrant prints, canvas tote bags, handbags, plush beach towels, and throws. Lise and Mathilde, who own and create the designs for the company, have been long time friends, and worked for major design studios, before they started Inoui Editions in 2009. Their design studio is based in Baie de Somme, in Hauts-de- France, near the English Channel and the inspiration for their prints comes from flowers, animals,landscapes, legends, and objects. The textiles and fabrics are produced in India.

They also design a line of leather goods and purses made of Italian leather, which are manufactured in Tunisia.

Marais boutique- 17 Rue des Blancs Manteaux, 75004

Saint Germain boutique- 21 rue de l’Odeon, 75006

https://inoui-editions.com/en-fr

 

 

Bellini, le Bellissimo at Jacquemart-André Museum

Today is a guest post by Rosemary Flannery about Giovanni Bellini, influences croisés exhibit at the Jacquemart-André Museum.

The Jacquemart-André Museum is featuring a stunning exhibition on the work of Giovanni Bellini (1435 – 1516), considered one of the greatest Venetian artists of the Renaissance. His paintings and that of his contemporaries - sculptures by Donatello, paintings from his father’s atelier and masterpieces by Mantegna - tell his story and that of his era.

Born an illegitimate child in Venice near San Marco, Bellini trained along with his elder half-brother Gentile in the studio of his natural father Jacopo, a prominent painter, resulting in a hugely successful artistic dynasty. Giovanni will come to be recognized as the founder of the Venetian tradition.

The diverse influences of this prosperous city – from Byzantine icons, created on wood panels with tempera and gold leaf, to the prevalence of the art of Flemish painters, who developed oil painting, and added delicate landscape backgrounds to their work – will infuse Giovanni Bellini’s style throughout his life.

The martyr Saint Justine is rendered by Giovanni Bellini in tempera, offering crisp details and the distinct, local colors of the Quattrocento.

Many of Giovanni’s early work were collaborative, such as this intricate Annunciation scene painted together with Gentile. 

In 1453, Andrea Mantegna, another giant of the early Renaissance, marries Bellini’s half-sister Nicolosia, creating an artistic dialogue between the two painters. A rare and precious drawing of Mantegna’s Mary with Dying Christ is on display, along with his celebrated Ecce Homo.

Bellini pioneered the use of color and light to create mood in landscapes that he observed around Venice, and incorporated into masterpieces such as this scene of The Virgin and Child with Saints.

Private devotional pictures were in great demand; Bellini forms his own studio which includes great talents such as Titian and Giorgione. This monumental work depicts the Virgin and Christ child enthroned, featuring the elongated figures of his later style. A rope slung with drapery prefigures the cross of the Crucifixion.

By the age of 48, Bellini is named official painter of the Republic of Venice, in the great hall of the Doge’s Palace.  His characteristic deep, rich tints and shadings, and sumptuous colors distinguish his last brilliant masterpiece, The Drunkenness of Noah. This narrative work represents an episode from the Old Testament: Noah is drunk after taking wine from one of his vineyards, and has fallen asleep naked. His son Ham discovers him sleeping and laughs at the scene while his brothers take the responsibility of covering him up.

As Venice transitions to the later Renaissance, the hallmark of Bellini’s style becomes the exaltation of sensuality and of atmosphere over shape and form, achieved through oil painting.

Jacquemart-André Museum, 158 boulevard Haussmann, 75008

Through July 17, 2023

https://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/giovanni-bellini

Rosemary Flannery is an American artist and writer, based in Paris, and is the author of the best-selling book Angels of Paris: an architectural tour through the history of Paris. https://tinyurl.com/3u8k3ft8

Doors of the Month: May 2023

I’ve been collecting door photos while out and about in the last month and I am presenting my bounty today. Do you have some favorites?

Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

I am excited to launch a new series of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards with the Doors of Paris. 

The limited-edition series of Eye Prefer Paris Door Collection Postcards are available three different ways.

18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers.

Cost: $65- Free shipping

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.

CLICK HERE to order 18 cards: 3 Red Doors, 3 Blue Doors, 3 Green Doors, 3 Wood Doors, 3 Iron Doors, and 3 Door Knockers.

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

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens, and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, and Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours,  Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 250 euros for up to 3 people, and 85 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

 

Jacques Garcia Timeless Auction at Sotheby’s

I am posting a bonus blog today.

Jacques Garcia is one of the most successful and prolific interior designers in the world. Not only has he done home interiors for countless celebrities and dozens of luxury hotels and restaurants around the globe, he’s also decorated rooms at Versailles and 40 galleries in the Louvre. (He decorated the Villa Elena, which was featured in season two of The White Lotus).

Garcia’s most prized possession is Champ de Bataille, a glorious, 17th-century chateau once owned by Count Alexandre de Créqui and designed by Louis le Vau, the architect who designed Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte. He purchased Champ de Bataille in 1992 and has tirelessly and relentlessly worked over 30 years to restore the chateau to its original splendor. A collection of 20 gardens on the property, inspired by Andre LeNotre’s designs, makes it the largest private garden in France: Garcia has planted thousands of trees plus added twenty fountains.

Also an avid collector, Garcia has amassed an enormous collection of the finest 17th-century and 18th-century antiques including furniture, rugs, tapestries, and porcelain, much of it from royal heritage.

At 75 years old, Garcia has poured much of his life’s savings, resources, and time into the chateau, and wants to guarantee that the legacy of the chateau is carried through to the next generation. He decided to auction off 75 pieces from his extensive collection to fund the future of Champ de Bataille. Sotheby’s Paris has been put in charge of the auction and the public exhibition of the collection started today and goes until May 15.

I had a chance to visit yesterday, and the collection was exquisite. The lineage was impressive, with pieces that used to belong to Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, Queens Marie Leszczynska and Marie-Antoinette, King William III and Queen Mary II of England, Scotland and Ireland, the Count of Provence and the Dukes of Penthièvre, Hamilton and Lorraine.

If you go, make sure you watch the fascinating video interview with Jacques Garcia along with montages of the chateau and the gardens.

Jacques Garcia, Intemporel

Public Exhibition

May 12, 13, 14, & 15

Check link below for hours

Sotheby’s Paris

76 rue Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75008

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/jacques-garcia-intemporel

Tuileries Overlooking the Place de la Concorde

I am always inspired to take photos after seeing great photo exhibitions. After viewing the Thomas Demand exhibition at the Jeu de Paume last week, I exited to the Tuileries, raring to go. The elevated part of the Tuileries just behind the museum, is one of my favorite spots in the gardens, overlooking the gardens, with great views of the Place de la Concorde and the Eiffel Tower.

It was a pleasant, sunny day and most of the chairs and benches were occupied by people wanting to catch some rays, enjoy their take-out food, read, or just relax. I decided to capture them from behind, which would be more interesting composition wise. A few years ago, I posted a similar series of bench photos in the Palais Royal, which received a lot of positive response. (CLICK HERE to view).

A few minutes later, I captured the leave formations and still bare branches on the trees and the architectural shadows they produced.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are  walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours,  Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 250 euros for up to 3 people, and 85 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com 

Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Sain Boulangerie

I practically went insain at the Sain Boulangerie the other day.

Vincent told me last week about a fantastic new Sain boulangerie/café in the upper Marais and said we must go back for lunch. He didn’t have to twist my arm, so we went for lunch with a friend a few days later. Soon as I entered, my eyes almost popped out of my head when I looked at the baskets and glass cases filled with the most delectable bread, pastries, desserts, and sandwiches. There wasn’t one item I wouldn’t want to devour, and even just looking at them, I could tell they would taste as good as they looked.

I brought myself down from pastry heaven for a few minutes to try and decide what I wanted for lunch, choosing a baguette filled with slices of roasted duck and shredded, roasted beets. Vincent had a humongous arancini, stuffed with rich, gooey mozzarella (which of course, I tried and loved) and my friend had a baguette with ham, cheese, and slivered cornichons.

Now for the crucial decision: what to have for dessert? After much consideration and hand wringing, I decided on a slice of the matcha and cherry loaf cake, with a cafe served in the classic, bottle green espresso cups. Although it was tasty enough, I was disappointed there weren’t more cherries in the cake part, but Vincent’s chocolate éclair is truly one of the best I ever tasted. Instead of having the usual, very sweet layer of shiny chocolate on top, the entire éclair was covered with a layer of dark chocolate and topped with shards of dark chocolate.

Baker/owner Anthony Courteille uses old-fashioned techniques before bread was mass-produced using processed flour. He works with a handful of organic flour producers, and the bread has a reduced gluten content, much lower than in commercial bread.

Sain Boulangerie

23 rue des Gravilliers, 75003 

Open Monday to Saturday, 7:30am-7:30pm 

Sunday 8am-1pm 

https://www.sain-boulangerie.com/

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the book giveaway for Cafe Society by Joan Osburn and congratulations to Donna B. who left the tenth comment. CLICK HERE to order Cafe Society on Amazon.

Book Giveaway: Café Society by Joanie Osburn

I am truly excited to be giving away a copy of Café Society -Time Suspended: The Cafés & Bistros of Paris by Joanie Osburn. I have received dozens of books in the past 17 years to giveaway on Eye Prefer Paris, and Café Society is one of my favorites. The comprehensive, coffee table book is divided into 14 Parts along with hundreds of glorious photos the author, Joanie Osburn took in the 30 plus years she has been coming to Paris.

1. Paris and its Cafes
2. The Look and the Feel
3. The Food & Drink
4. Café Society
5. The People Who Make Café Society
6. The Time of the Day
7. The Time of the Year
8. Les Quartiers: Historic, Trendy, & Local Haunts
9. In Search of Lost Time
10. The Paris Café in the Early Twentieth Century
11. Looking Forward: Trending in a Good Way
12. A Little History: From Coffee to Café
13. Au Revoir …et a bientôt
14. Adresses

The book is exquisitely designed by my friend and great designer Louise Brody, and I’ve browsed through it at least a half a dozen times so far, fully devouring it.

The tenth person who leaves a comment on the bottom of this post today on this link

https://www.ipreferparis.net/2023/05/book-giveaway-café-society-by-joanie-osburn.html

will receive a copy of Café Society.

Please note, the book must be sent to a U.S. address.

If you don’t win the contest, I still urge you to buy Café Society, you will treasure it.

CLICK HERE to order on Amazon

I had the pleasure of interviewing Joanie Osburn, the author, when she was in Paris last month promoting the book at her favorite café, Le Select on Blvd. Montparnasse. Below are the questions and answers.

When was the first time you visited Paris and what was the first café you visited?

Decades ago, between Junior and Senior year at university. Café Flore and Deux Magots, of course, and there were no lines to get in.

I love the clever cover of the book. Please tell us about your cup collection.

Wherever I travel, I find that cafés are where you can get the sense of a place, the attitude of the people, the energy and spirit. The espresso cups are a beautiful memory for me of each café in each city or village I’ve visited.  The design of each cup is beautiful on its own and I love how they look together.

If someone only has a few days in Paris, what three cafes do you recommend they go to?

Each arrondissement has wonderful cafés, so I do recommend wandering and finding some that are filled with locals. On rive gauche I like La Palette on art gallery street, rue de Seine, and Le Select in Montparnasse, among multitudes of other favorites. On rive droit, Au Petit Fer à Cheval, Fouquet’s, and Café Charlot are always lively and consistently good.

How many years did it take you to put together the book and how did you organize your research?

I started with the idea twenty years ago, but we had a very busy architecture studio, a showroom at the San Francisco Design Center, and a café and retail store in Napa, so I had to abandon the work until we slowed down these enterprises. I began working on the book in earnest in 2018. By then I had thousands of Paris café photos that I had taken with various cameras for decades. I organized the book into chapters, defining the key points of café life I wanted to highlight, and built the book in much the same way as a design project. It was released by my publisher December 27, 2022.

What are your top cafes for food?

Since my book is about the cafés and bistros of Paris, I’m going to include Bistro du Peintre, Le Mesturet, Café Varenne, Le Comptoir, L’Escargot Montorgueil, and Chez Paul.

What’s your favorite neighborhood in Paris and why?

Montparnasse is my territory. It was ground zero for artists, writers, and intellectuals from around the globe in Les années folles (our roaring 20’s) and I can’t stop reading every book about that time and those people. Nor can I stay away from the five haunts that have remained and retained their spirit: La Coupole, Le Select, Le Dôme, La Rotonde, and La Closerie des Lilas.

If you can invite one person, living or dead, to a café, who would it be?

Audrey Hepburn is having a moment in Paris now, so let’s invite her.

The book has been sent to several VIPs. Can you tell us who they are?

President Macron, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, and President Biden all have the book. It’s available at Amazon, Rizzoli, Barnes and Noble, Shakespeare and Co., the Drugstore, Musée Carnavalet, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Galeries Lafayette, and Galignani book shop, Paris.

You are visiting Vienna after Paris. How do you compare their cafes with the Paris cafes?

They are so very different. In Vienna, Prague, and Budapest cafés are mostly indoors only with few terraces. They serve various coffees with whipped cream, cakes, and minimal to no food. The spirit is subdued, unlike the lively Paris cafés. Sadly, many beautiful old cafés in Central Europe have been remodeled and have lost their original architectural features.

May 2023 Eye Need To Do’s: Fete du Pain, Saint Germain Jazz Festival, Paris/Capital of Gastronomy, and Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs

Fete Du Pain

It’s a 9-day carbs marathon in front of the hallowed ground of Notre Dame. The best bakers in France set up shop in a huge tent to compete for prizes such as best almond croissant, the best apple turnover, the best croissant, and the ultimate prize, the best baguette in Paris and in the various regions of France. Breads are baked on the premises plus there will be FREE tastings, demonstrations, and lectures.  

May 13-21

Parvis de Notre Dame, 75004

https://www.sp-boulangerieparis.fr

Saint Germain Jazz Festival

Some of the best, international jazz artists will be jamming in venues around Saint Germain des Pres. Artists include Rhoda Scott, Laurent Cugny, Richard Galliano, and pianist Yaron Herman will be doing a solo performance in an open-air concert.

May 10-17

https://festivaljazzsaintgermainparis.com/home/

Paris/Capital of Gastronomy

A fascinating new exhibition, Paris/Capital of Gastronomy traces the culture of food in Paris from the middle-ages to the present day and includes the history of restaurants, cafes, boulangeries, and pastry shops.

Until July 16, 2023

La Conciergerie

Ile de Cité, 75004

https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/what-to-visit-in-paris/exhibit-museum/articles/289338-paris-capital-of-gastronomy-the-exhibition-that-makes-us-hungry-at-the-conciergerie-photos

Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs

Over 180 artifacts from the time of the Pharaohs will be on display, focusing on the works from the time of Ramses II, who was responsible for the building of Egypt’s most prized works including the temple of Luxor, Karnak, and Abu Simbel.

Until September 6, 2023

La Grande Halle de la Villette

211 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019

https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/what-to-visit-in-paris/exhibit-museum/articles/239768-ramses-and-the-gold-of-the-pharaohs-the-incredible-exhibition-to-discover-at-la-villette-our-photos