Art, Architecture and a French Recipe

It is really an understatement to say Paris is all about art.  There are too many museums to count, neighborhoods with varied architecture, galleries, public art dotted around the city...the list goes on and on.

Miles and I had the opportunity to visit my friend Ilaria Tonti who works in a small boutique that sells hand-made rugs.  She invited us to the opening of an artist's newest handmade rug (seen below).

Another artist's hand-made tapestry at the gallery

There are many free museums around Paris, too, like Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

Panels made in 1935 for 1st class lounge of an ocean liner

Metal desk from the 1930s

A bronze bas-relief by Matisse

On the centenary of Rodin's death, Nov. 17, 2017, the Rodin Museum was free of charge, so of course we had to return (we go there every time we visit Paris).

Sleeping Woman

Clay model for Sleeping Woman

Marble version of "The Kiss"...

 ...and bronze

I loved these feet!

The Maillol Museum exterior

Another amazing find was The Arènes de Lutèce which is one of the most important remains from the Gallo-Roman era in Paris (known in antiquity as Lutèce). This amphitheater, located in the Latin Quarter, could once seat 15,000 people and was used to present gladiatorial combats.

Another friend, Elise Nachbaur, took me around the 13th arrondisement which has a very large Chinese community.  There are many Chinese markets and restaurants, huge residential high rises and beautiful murals.

We continued to walk to some neighborhoods reminiscent of village life.

Elise on one of the village streets of Butte aux Cailles

Beautiful door

I noticed these poles had cute knitted caps.  What?  Elise said this is part of the Yarn Bombing movement.   Had to consult Google for this one:  Yarn bombing is an international type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber rather than paint or chalk (click on the picture to see a close-up of these cute caps!)

We ended our day in a small tea shop that also sells yarn.

Another wonderful experience was going to the Christian Dior exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs courtesy of Marianne Caraux, an old friend of my brother and sister-in-law, who works at the museum as a researcher and guide.

I'm not particularly interested in fashion, but it was an incredible display of 400 dresses, all presented in the most artful and creative settings.

 Vintage designs in a white forest

 Floor-to-ceiling mannequins which displayed the design process

Extremely elegant gowns...

 

 ...set in a replica of the Louvre's Hall of Mirrors

And now to end with a different kind of art:  FOOD

My re-creation of a salad Miles had in a restaurant: 

 Salade Chevre Chaud (melted goat cheese on toast on a bed of mache greens topped with toasted pine nuts, vinaigrette and a few dots of honey)