I Prefer Paris

Children’s Drawings of Notre Dame

 I want to thank everyone for watching my live Rue de Martyrs Food tour last week and also for your generous tips to my PayPal account. I'm sorry I couldn't thank all of you individually, but know I really appreciate it. CLICK HERE to watch the video and CLICK HERE if you would like to leave a tip in my PayPal account (you don’t have to have a PayPal account), which I would greatly appreciate, as I do these tours free of charge for France.fr  Enjoy! 

I was in front of Notre Dame last week doing research for a future tour. There’s been a temporary wall installed in front and on the sides of the cathedral while during the reconstruction from the 2019 fire. 

On the parvis in front, is an exhibition of drawings of Notre Dame. Six months after the fire, the archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Michel Aupetit, started a campaign requesting grade school children from France and around the world, aged from four to sixteen years old to “Draw me Notre-Dame: The cathedral you know or the cathedral you imagine. 

There were close to 6000 drawings submitted from all over France and countries such as Poland, the U.S., Germany, and Germany. 

Paris, City of Pearls

The mighty pearl, a tiny jewel, has been an object of fascination and desire for centuries.

A new exhibition at L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts presents an informative and visually stimulating look at the art and commerce of the pearl. It goes back to the late 19^th century during the Belle Epoch era, when pearls where all the rage for fashionable women in Paris. The top jewelers in Paris were designing lavish and sumptuous pearl jewelry to keep with the demand. From an historic point of view it was a time when the pearl trade between the Gulf of Persia and France was at an intense level. Over 100 gorgeous pieces are on display.

Until June 1, 2025

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (Paris - Grands Boulevards)

Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis, boulevard Montmartre 75009

Admission is free but you must reserve a ticket online

https://www.lecolevancleefarpels.com/fr/en

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.

Dolce and Gabbana : Du Coeur a la Main

The extravagant, dream-like exhibition, Du Coeur a la Main, is 10 rooms of sheer fantasy by designers Dolce and Gabbana. It’s a passionate message about the exuberant style and runaway imagination of the haute couture geniuses Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. Over 200 garments, jewelry, and accessories are displayed, and the rooms reference significant parts of Italian culture such as art, architecture, crafts, regional cultures, music, opera, ballet, cinema, folk traditions, and theater.  One of the highlights is a room where seamstresses and tailors are making clothing live.

Book your ticket immediately, as this is the cultural event of the year so far.

Until March 31, 2025

Grand Palais

https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/node/52365

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.

 

 

Christofle: A Brilliant Story

For over three centuries, Christofle has been associated with designing exquisite silver and gold tabletop and dining ware, elevating the craft of silver and gold making.

It all started in 1830 when goldsmiths Charles Christofle (1805-1863) and Henri Bouilhet (1830-1910) began created tabletop pieces for daily use in the home.

The fascinating exhibit traces Christofle from its early beginnings to its dominance as a leading international brand known for its innovative designs.

In the 1800s, extravagant pieces were designed for royalty and aristocracy, and in the 20^th century, Christofle branched out and created table settings for the Orient Express, the ocean liner Normandie, the Concorde, and the Ritz Paris. Interior designers, artists, and architects such as Giacometti, Karl Lagerfeld, Andree Putman, Gio Ponti, and Pharrell Williams, collaborated with Christofle to create original pieces. The sprawling exhibit, spanning two floors has close to 1,000 gold and silver work, jewelry, paintings, drawings and posters.

 

Until April 20, 2025

Musée des Arts Decoratifs

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001

https://madparis.fr/Christofle-a-brilliant-story

Can someone please gift me these? 

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.

 

 

 

 

Art Nouveau at Musée d’Orsay

 

As many of you know, I am a huge Art Nouveau fan, and in fact, I made a special trip to Brussels in August of 2023 for a year long celebration of Art Nouveau.CLICK HERE to read about my Brussels experience.

I had read several years ago that the Musée d’Orsay had a major collection of Art Nouveau furniture and objets, but I never got around to see it.

Last week, I attempted to see the Caillebotte exhibition at the Orsay, but it was so packed, that I couldn’t see the paintings. Exiting the exhibition and perhaps seeing it another time, I remembered to go to the second floor to see the Art Nouveau exhibition rooms.

The collection was exceptional, with the finest examples of the period from Belgium, Nancy, and Paris. Most of the pieces came from the Musée du Luxembourg and Musée National d'Art Moderne. The works are from the most noted designers and architects of the era including Hector Guimard, Victor Horta, works from the Nancy School by Louis Majorelle, Emile Gallé, by Adolf Loos, Gustave Serrurier-Bovy Frank Lloyd Wright, Otto Wagner, Josef Hoffmann and Henry Van de Velde.

The collection is on the second floor of the Orsay.

 EYE PREFER PARIS POSTCARDS FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS

I am offering a holiday sale of free shipping on Eye Prefer Paris Door Postcards. In addition, if you want to send them as a holiday gift, I can handwrite a personalized card for you.

For a set of 18 cards, you will save $12, and for a set of 9 cards, you will save $8.

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection makes a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family.

IMPORTANT! You must order your cards before December 10, as I mail them from Paris, and it takes 10 days to 2 weeks to arrive in the U.S.

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 Includes Free Shipping.

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

Cost: $35 Includes Free shipping

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

Cost: $35 Includes Free shipping 

Postcards are hand-wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French-blue envelope. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection makes a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family.

Blue Doors

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

Wood Doors

Door Knockers

Reopening of The Grand Palais

The Grand Palais was closed for almost 2.5 years for renovations and reopened in time for the Olympics last summer. I was always impressed with the Art Nouveau, architectural details of the enormous structure measuring 775,000 square feet, which was built for the 1900 World’s Fair.

I returned last week to the Grand Palais for Paris Photo. The fair is one of the prestigious photo shows in the world, representing the top photographers working today and vintage photos. Walking through the aisles, I was inspired by the innovative photography, with a desire to go take some new photos. Looking around the Grand Palais, I found my inspiration by looking up at the ceilings, the stairways, and balconies. Do you have some favorites?

I can make a photo print of any of these photos. Email me at [email protected] for sizes and prices. 

 EYE PREFER PARIS POSTCARDS FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS

I am offering a holiday sale of free shipping on Eye Prefer Paris Door Postcards. In addition, if you want to send them as a holiday gift, I can handwrite a personalized card for you.

For a set of 18 cards, you will save $12, and for a set of 9 cards, you will save $8.

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection makes a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family.

IMPORTANT! You must order your cards before December 10, as I mail them from Paris, and it takes 10 days to 2 weeks to arrive in the U.S.

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 Includes Free Shipping.

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

Cost: $35 Includes Free shipping

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

Cost: $35 Includes Free shipping 

Postcards are hand-wrapped with love from Paris and mailed in an elegant, French-blue envelope. 

Just in time for the holidays, the Eye Prefer Paris-Paris Door Collection makes a perfect gift for your Francophile friends and family.

Blue Doors

Green Doors

Blue Doors

Metal Doors

Wood Doors

Door Knockers

Olga de Amaral at Fondation Cartier

Olga de Amaral is one of the world’s most talented textile artists, but strangely, her work is not shown in Europe that much. That has changed now, and de Amaral is having a major retrospective in Paris at the Fondation Cartier with 80 of her pieces from the last 50 years.

Born and still living in Colombia, de Amaral studied at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy in Michigan from 1954 to 1955. She started producing large and intricate fiber sculptures in the 1960s, and she went on to receive many, major awards from some of the top art institutions around the world. Her work can be seen in Tate Modern, MoMA, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Fondation Cartier is a perfect fit for de Amaral’s large works, with its super tall ceilings and floor to ceiling glass walls on the main floor. On the right side is a series of dramatic textiles, many arranged to look like optical illusions, and some can be viewed on four sides, making them appear to be different on each side.

Downstairs, the pieces, hung with thin string form the ceiling, a appear to be floating from thin air without any support. The texture from the weaved fabrics and vibrant colors, some mixed with gold, were superb.

In a separate gallery on the lower floor, is part of an exquisite series, Estolas/Stars, created in the beginning of 1996, which consists of 70 pieces (only a portion are shown). The stunning gold, rock like sculptures weaved with gold leaf, appears like a shimmering Stonehenge.

Until March 16, 2025

Fondation Cartier 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014

https://www.fondationcartier.com/en/

Stephen Jones, Chapeaux D’Artiste

Does anyone still wear a hat? Is an iconic line from the song Here’s to the Ladies Who Lunch which Elaine Stritch sang in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.

The answer to that question is an emphatic YES, in the world of Stephen Jones.

Designing exuberant and daring hats for over 40 years, Jones is a legend in the fashion world. He’s collaborated with some of the top design houses in the world including Thierry Mugler, Azzedine Alaia, Comme des Garcons, Dior, Claude Montana, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier, and John Galliano.

Born and raised in northwest England near Liverpool, he later attended the St. Martins School of Art in London. He went to Paris during his school breaks before he went to college, and it’s where he fell in love with the style, culture, and fashion of the City of Light. Years later, he would fulfill his dreams of working with Parisian couturiers and fashion designers.

The exhibition traces the rise of his success with over 200 hats plus lots of personal items such as drawings, photos, and videos. In the videos, Jones eloquently speaks about his craft, inspirations, and the process of designing hats.

Put Stephen Jones, Chapeaux D’Artiste on top of your Paris to do list this fall and winter.

Until March 16, 2025

Palais Galliera 10, Avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie, 75116

I highly recommend booking tickets in advance.

https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/stephen-jones-chapeaux-dartiste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesage, 100 Years of Fashion and Decoration

Last week I went to see an excellent and informative exhibition. Lesage, 100 Years of Fashion and Decoration. Lesage creates some of the most intricate and exquisite embroidery and beadwork mostly for clothing.

Taking over the business of embroiderer Michonet in 1924, Albert, Marie Louise Lesage, and later on their son Francois, created exquisite beading and embroidery in their workshops, for the best know fashion houses, including Schiaparelli, Dior, Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath, Givenchy, and Madame Gres. In the 1980s & 90s, they collaborated with Chanel and Yves Saint Lauren. One of the most exquisite and extravagant designs was a hand embroidered jacket depicting Van Gogh’s Irises and Sunflowers for the summer 1988 collection. The jacket, which took over 600 hours to make, was made with 250, 000 sequins in 22 colors along with 200,000 beads and 270 yards of ribbon.

Lesage was recently taken over by Chanel and the new exhibition space, le 19^th M, on the 19^th arrondissement, is in the same building where Chanel has offices in.

The show divided into eight sections, including a room with immersive videos, takes the visitor through a highly detailed overview of the techniques, process, and many steps it takes to create a complete design.

Until January 5, 2025

2 Place Skanderbeg, 75019

https://www.le19m.com/en/lesage-100-years-fashion-and-decoration

Note: The exhibition building is about a 12-to-15-minute walk from the Front Populaire metro station on line 12.

Foliage in Giverny

Last week I took some tour clients to Giverny and as we were riding in the car, Rich, his wife Michele, and I discovered we had many things in common. Obviously one of us had the same name but we discovered all of us grew up in Brooklyn, that Rich was Italian and Michele was Jewish, just like Vincent and I, and we had the same exact political views of the U.S.

It was a gorgeous day, with oodles of sun, blue sky, and crisp fall air. The gardens at the Monet house still had plenty of flowers, but you could see that it was going to be the last of them for the season. The gardens and the house were blissfully not crowded. We whisked into the house right away without any wait, and the Japanese garden, was void of the summer onslaught of tourists. We were having such a great time, I extended the tour, and we walked through the village, admiring the gorgeous foliage, especially, the crimson leaves festooning the outside of the buildings.

 

We had lunch in a restaurant just across from the Monet house, in the lovely garden terrace. We were having so much fun, that Michele and Rich asked me to have dinner with them. For dinner, we went to Au Bourguignon du Marais, near my apartment and we savored foie gras, amazing beef Bourguignon, duck a l' Orange, and a perfect Burgundy red wine. By the end of dinner, we were all good friends, and I will see them when I go to New York.

 

Lynn Chadwick Sculptures at Hotel de Sully

The Perrotin Gallery in the Marais is mounting Hypercycle, a series of exhibitions across three continents curated by art historian Matthieu Poirier. Each series focuses on an artist in three stages of their career.

Chapter 1: Scalene (1947-1962), in the front and back court yards of the Hotel de Sully, commemorates the beginning years of Lynn Chadwick, a significant, twentieth century sculptor whose peers were Louis Bourgeois Henry Moore, and Alberto Giacometti.

 

It was a sunny day when I photographed the multi-dimensional sculptures, and the sun and the shadows allowed the sculptures to take on formations if you viewed them from different angles.

The installation is sponsored by Perrotin Gallery in collaboration with the Basel Paris art fair, and a larger collection of the Chadwick sculptures are exhibited at their gallery in rue de Turenne.

Chapter 1: Scalene (1947-1962)

From October 8 to November 18

Hotel de Sully 69 rue Saint Antoine, 75004

 From October 12-November 16

Perrotin Gallery

76 rue de Turenne, 75003