I Prefer Paris

Suzanne Valadon at Centre Pompidou

Suzanne Valadon was one of the few, recognized female artists from the late 1800sand early 1900s, and the first female artist admitted to the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. Her colorful life started as a child of a single mother, living in Montmartre, and taking various jobs to survive, such as working at a hatmaker’s atelier, a factory making funeral wreaths, selling vegetables, and as a waitress. At age 15, she worked as a circus acrobat but broke her back during a fall. After her recovery, she became a model for artists of the time, Toulouse Lautrec, Berthe Morisot, and Jean-Jacques Henner. Having self-taught herself to draw at age nine, during her modeling time, Valadon studied and observed the painting styles of the artists she posed for, to further her own work.  Valadon was friends with Degas, who was impressed with her work.

One of the last, major shows at the Centre Pompidou, before closing in September of 2025, is a large-scale retrospective of Valadon’s work. Over 200 works follow her long career, with nudes, portraits, drawings, and landscapes. I went to see the show last week and I was smitten with Valadon’s strong use of color, form, texture, and her brilliant portraits of family, friends, and other artists.

Until May 26, 2025

Centre Pompidou

https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/5moMjyy

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Metro Station of the Month: Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy

Metro Station of the Month is a blog category I used to post monthly when I started Eye Prefer Paris, but since I photographed most of the interesting stations, I don’t usually post them anymore. CLICK HERE to see my former posts.

I am reviving Metro Station of the Month today, with a brand-new metro station. There’s been an enormous project in recent years to build more metro stations and lines to connect the suburbs and outer areas of Paris France directly to Paris.

Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy, on line 14 opened last month, and will also connect with the new metro line 15 in 2026. It’s the deepest metro station in Paris, surpassing Abbesses, measuring 36 meters below ground

Named after the Franco-Swiss neurologist, neuropathologist and cancerologist (1874-1948) Gustave-Roussy, the medical institute with the same name is near the station.

On the platforms of the station, comic artist and illustrator Matthias Lehmann has installed playful murals of neighborhood and its residents.

Other news about the metro, line 14 now extends to Orly Airport, using just a regular ticket or metro card. It’s 25 minutes from the Orly station to Chatelet station.

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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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

Café of the Month February 2025: La Crème du Palais Royal

As many of you know, the Palais Royal Gardens are one of my favorite places in Paris, so after having coffee at La Crème du Palais Royal, it was another good excuse to visit.

The elegant café, decorated with white mosaic tile floors, trimmed in a leaf motif, a Watteau-like wall mural, and handsome wood stools, is inviting and cozy. I had my requisite café noisette, in a China cup with the chic logo of the café, along with a slice of their super yummy banana loaf. Kudos for serving warm milk in a separate pitcher, so I had control over how much milk to add.  I struck up a conversation with some cool American expats who had a ginormous dog. Besides a full coffee and drink menu, La Crème du Palais Royal also has a food menu with avocado toast, lobster rolls, broiled eggs with Serrano ham, and a few other appealing choices. In summer they serve ice crem and have tables in the garden area.

39 General de Montpensier, 75001

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

Picasso: Art in Movement at Atelier des Lumières

The newest exhibition at Atelier des Lumières, Picasso: Art in Movement, is one of the best they have ever presented. It’s an in depth, visual celebration of Picasso, covering his massive and prodigious output for over 70 years. From Spain France, it goes through every phase of Picasso including his early portrait work when he lived in Montmartre in the early 1900s, Cubism, Blue period, Pink period, and Surrealism. It also features his ceramics, sculptures, and theater sets. The rousing and eclectic soundtrack seamlessly goes from Dave Brubeck to Cream to Carmen to Carmen Suite 1 by Bizet.

The second show at Atelier des Lumières, is Rousseau- A World of Dreams, an exploration of the fantasy plant and jungle world of the artist Henri Rousseau.

Until June 29, 2025

38 rue Saint Maur, 75011

https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en/picasso

 

Rousseau

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

Murakami at Louis Vuitton

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is once again collaborating with Louis Vuitton, designing fun and colorful bags, clothing, and accessories for the brand. I passed the windows the other day at the Louis Vuitton store on Place Vendome and they put a warm smile on my face on the dreary, gray day. Zendaya is the spokesperson for the campaign and is in the vivacious photos and videos on the Louis Vuitton website and ads.

https://eu.louisvuitton.com/eng-e1/stories/louisvuittonxmurakami

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

Louvre Couture – Part 2

As I mentioned in my post from Thursday about the Louvre Couture exhibition, I am posting the remainder of the photos.

 

CLICK HERE to read the blog from Thursday if you missed it.

 

Louvre Couture

Until July 25, 2025

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture

 

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

Louvre Couture – Part 1

The fashion world has been abuzz since the first ever fashion exhibition at the Louvre premiered during haute couture week at the end of January.

Louvre Couture- Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces, is a stunning and sprawling fashion extravaganza featuring over 100 fashion designs from 1961 to the present day. The genius part of the show is the curation; many of the outfits are perfectly matched with the exquisite backdrops of the rooms of the Louvre in the Richelieu wing with 18^th and 19^th century period furniture, tapestries, objets, rugs, draperies, and paintings.

Designers include Jean Paul Gaultier, Givenchy, Dior and Christian Dior, American Thom Browne (a pleasant surprise), Iris Van Herpen, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Schiaparelli, and John Galliano.

A fascinating video shows how the exhibit was organized, and the care and special handling of the garments.  

I have only one criticism of the show: It’s poorly organized, and there is hardly any signage letting you where the exhibition is. You can download a map of the exhibit on their site or get a paper one at the museum.  Make sure you head to the Richelieu Wing when you enter the museum. There’s no special ticket, just purchase a Louvre entry ticket in advance for sure. The exhibition covers over 100,000 square feet, so leave yourself at least 90 minutes to view it.

Since the show is so massive, I am featuring half the photos today and the remainder next Monday.

Louvre Couture

Until July 25, 2025

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.

 

 

 

February 2025 Eye Need to Do’s: Atelier des Lumieres, Suzanne Valadon, Louvre Couture, and Carmen

Atelier des Lumieres: Picasso, the Art of Movement

For their annual exhibition for 2025 Atelier des Lumieres celebrates the art of Picasso. Their secondary show is Rousseau, A World of Dreams.

February 14 to June 29, 2025

38 rue Saint Maur, 75011

https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en

Suzanne Valadon

Suzanne Valadon was a model and muse for Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec, and other notable artists living in Montmartre in the early 1900s. She went on to be a formidable painter on her own, one of the few recognized female artists for the time.  A new exhibition of 200 paintings, some rarely shown, are on display.

Until May 26, 2025

Centre Pompidou

https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/5moMjyy

Louvre Couture Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces

For the first time in its history, the Louvre is presenting its first fashion exhibit. Louvre Couture Art and Fashion: Statement Pieces exhibits 65 haute couture pieces and 30 accessories. Designers include Carven, Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel, Yohji Yamamoto and Dolce & Gabbana.  

Until July 25, 2025

Louvre

https://www.louvre.fr/en/exhibitions-and-events/exhibitions/louvre-couture

Carmen

The fiery Carmen brings her passion to Paris with the opera put on by the prestigious Ballet de Rome.

February 21 & 22, 2025

Palais Congres de Paris

https://www.franceconcert.fr/fr/spectacle/carmen/

Lost in Frenchlation is a terrific organization that screens current French and foreign films with English subtitles. Checkout this link https://www.facebook.com/lostinfrenchlation/ to view films being screened this month. 

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, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours,Vintage Clothing  Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 275€ for up to 3 people, and 90€ 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.