Several Cultural Activities

Jacquemart Andre Museum 

We met Jacques and Claire at the Jacquemart Andre museum on Blvd Haussmann for an exhibit of artwork ranging from the Italian Renaissance to Modern Art. The exhibition rooms were quite small and crowded, especially when a tour guide gave a lecture in front of one of the Italian masterpieces. The last few rooms had works by Modigliani, Picasso and Rothko. There were also some interesting sculptures. One of a large spider which was the artist's interpretation of his father's infidelity, his mother's hard work and protection of the family and his own artistic struggle (or something like that...)








The Jacquemart Andre museum is really more of a well maintained 19th century residence. One enters via a covered passageway to courtyard of crushed stone leading to the entrance of the residence. It was constructed in the Italian style and is beautifully furnished. Plus, they have a great restaurant for lunch.

Here is a mosaic from an Italian mansion that was mounted on the wall. Take a look at the foot of the guy on the right. It overflowed the wall a bit so they  had to chisel out part of the molding on the wall to make it fit. 

We finished off the day at Bofinger near the Bastille for Choucroute, in its various forms, with Champagne. Nice touch. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACQUES!

Foundation Louis Vuitton

Another recent addition to the cultural landscape of Paris is the Foundation Louis Vuitton. This is a new exhibition center located in the Bois de Boulogne in the outskirts of Paris. This is a fascinating piece of architecture that may one day take its place along other modern structures, such as the Eiffel Tower, (even though it is more than 100 years old), the Pyramid du Louvre and the Pompidou Center as one of the icons of the city. Jacques picked us up at Palais des Congres and we drove a short distance to the FLV. 

As there were no exhibits to view, we were only charged 9 euro and enter to marvel at the interior. There is an auditorium where many of the seats all come up from under the floor. The colored curtains in the auditorium and on the walls are considered to be artwork in the building.

Done by Elsworth Kelly.

Here is a hall of mirrors that are angled in such a way so that images can me seen on multiple mirrors.

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The architect, American Frank Gehry, was influenced by his childhood in designing the building. His memories of fish dinners may explain the 17 giant white carp hanging in the small cafeteria. His interest in sailing also contributed to the 12 sail-like structures on the outside of the building. Also, due to some building restrictions, there is only one floor which actually begins below ground. 

 

After the visit, we ate lunch in the Jardin D'Acclimatisation, a zoo-like park dedicated to how birds and animals adjust to changing environments, A peacock, roaming the area, peered into the restaurant to see what we were eating.