January 2025
Musing about subversive sculpture, a new curiosity shop, a shiny new French coin and a cover reveal…
BUT IS IT ART?
I was starting to wonder why no parents (or guards) were concerned about the serious little boy copying the Thomas Couture painting in the Grand Gallery of the Musée d’Orsay. But it wasn’t a child artist after all. Elmstreet and Dragset (the Scandinavian-born, Berlin-based ‘disrupter’ duo) adorned the Orsay with their witty and subversive creations and you have to look up, down and all around to spot them. These sculptures are only dancing on the ceiling through February 2nd but the artists will be back in Paris for an exhibit entitled Enormément Bizarre at the Pompidou Center in late March. Check http://www.elmgreen-dragset.com/ for more info on their upcoming installations.
JOSEPHINE BAKER
The mint moves slowly in the US. We heard about the Harriet Tubman $20 bill back in 2016 but it won’t hit the ATM machines until 2030. In France – only three years after President Macron inducted the famed cabaret artiste and Resistance heroine Josphine Baker into the Pantheon during a televised ceremony – we have a 20 centime coin dedicated to this Franco-American ex-pat legend! Get’em while they’re still shiny and new.
BATIGNOLLES DECO
Looking for the perfect gift from a lifestyle shop where every single item tells a unique story? Bérangere Delalande opened Armand & Colette on a quiet street in Batignolles three months ago and it’s a treasure trove of offbeat and unexpected delights. Named after her grandparents, the shop features flea-market finds (1950s-1980s) mixed with paintings and objets d’art by contemporary designers. Hours are a bit irregular (see below). Here’s the best way to catch up on the constantly changing inventory:
https://www.instagram.com/armand_et_colette/
44 rue Nollet, 75017. Metro Rome or La Fourche. Open Monday to Friday from noon to 7pm and two Saturdays per month.
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TIME FOR SOME TOAST !Friends of the Ghostwriter series! Have you wondered how Melody Layne and Carlos Ortega were faring after their messy break-up? The second book in the series is almostready for release. Whereas Book One, French Ghost, was set against the Parisian fashion and cinema scene, French Toast will expose Melody to the skullduggery beneath the shiny façade of French haute cuisine. I’m thrilled with the cover designed by the brilliant Diana Carlile and will share more about the book in following issues.
Happy Year of the Snake! Hope it slithers well for you!
Seeya in February!