Paris October 4 : a colorful wakeful night

If you stay in Paris next week-end, save your Saturday evening, and may be the whole night, to walk around Paris and discover the seventh Wakeful Night.

This year’s edition is mostly dedicated to video and film.

If you choose east Paris, on metro line 14 between Cour Saint-Emilion and Gare de Lyon stations, an editing of space conquest footages by Artavazd Pelechian will make feel like taking off at Bercy railway station :

and in front of Gare de Lyon, you’ll can watch the shooting of a Bollywood Film directed by Shaad Ali:

And if you’re in a romantic mood, go back towards the center, near Bastille, and stop at La maison Rouge 10 bd de la Bastille, to take part in Christian Boltanski’ work les archives du coeur, and have your heartbeat (and your sweetheart’s too ) registered on a CD.

From there, you may go towards Marais and see the Saint Jacques tower in a day and night light, thanks to Gu Dexin :

and though I have no preview of it, I would suggest, if you are walking in this area, to stop at the Museum of Judaism Art, 71 rue du Temple, and see snow falling all night : Gute Nacht by Christian Boltanski, Franck Krawczyk and Jean Kalman.

Many things to see and listen too around Montparnasse and Saint-Germain. For example, if you feel home sick, go to Saint-Germain Church  to listen to Patti Smith:

Many places to visit around Gare Saint-Lazare and Champs-Elysées, as Brillant Noise by the British  SEMICONDUCTOR, as well as around Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, where Pierrick Sorin might ask you to pose for a family portrait.

More information to plan your night trip on : http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6806

And if you’re travelling with kids, there is a special program made for you and them by Paris Mômes, including Nabaz Mob, cour Saint-Emilion, a choir of a hundred of Nabaztags composed by Antoine Schmitt and Jean-Jacques Birgé (starts at 20 PM) :

and crossing the Seine by passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, go up to rue Paul Klee, to watch “la danse de la fontaine émergeante” (the dance of the uprising fountain) :

For more information, you can upload this program on http://www.parismomes.fr/surprises/page_surprises.php?id=43

Let’s hope that weather will be on our side!

Have a great Nuit Blanche , and I’ll be back next week with some pictures and my report.

Musée Bourdelle : a quiet journey back to old Paris Montparnasse

The current exhibition Rêve Brisé by Alain Séchas also gives the opportunity to discover the Bourdelle Museum.

It’s a brick building of the sixties, on a quiet street close to the noisy avenue du Maine, Montparnasse Raiway Station and Tower.

Along the street, a garden with benches to sit, rest, dream or read among some of the more than 500 sculptures by Antoine Bourdelle that are permanently exhibited in all parts of the museum. Here a neo antique warrior with a modern background.

The arcades on the museum’s building side makes you almost feel you’re in a cloister, with profane statues.

this one is called the Fruits, and this proud young Eve is typical of many Bourdelle’s women figures.

As this gracious silhouette in the dark of the museum entrance.

Many of Bourdelle’s works are exhibited in a large room lighted by a glass roof.

The famous Héracles archer. (1909)

A bas-relief called La Tragédie, made  in 1912 for the Champs-Elysées Theater.

In the back of the exhibition rooms, you get further in the past, entering the studio where Antoine Bourdelle worked from 1884 up to his death in 1929.

It overlooks a backyard with outdoor scultptures, among these, another (bronze) version of the dying centaur that we just saw in the studio. It is really cool out there, even on hot days.

Back toward the street, you can also visit Bourdelle’s appartment, originaly located impasse du Maine, which no longer exists.

It’s cluttered up with statues which certainly were some place else when Bourdelle lived there, and modern metallic chairs and halogen lamp look terrible. But still, you can get an idea of a nineteenth century Montparnasse artist home, focusing on the few pieces of furniture along the walls.

Musée Bourdelle, 18 rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris Metro Montparnasse, tel 33(0)1 49 54 73 73, open everyday except Monday 10-18, free entrance when there is no temporary exhibition (currantly Alain Séchas Rêve Brisé up to August 24.

Artsenat 2008 : French Modern Art in Paris Jardin du Luxembourg #2

Most of Artsenat 2008 charm comes from the setting of modern art next to nineteenth century sculptures and in a garden where people also come for other activities.

Morceaux Fleuris (left) and Origine Pop (right) created by Faz in 2008 might not be so charming if they weren’t set on both sides of the tribute to Delacroix by Aimé Jules Dalou and the young lady walking her baby in a red carriage makes the whole installation complete.

Just as the Arbres de Vie (2008) by Nathalie Decoster fit in the green of the original trees.

And the rain has filled the cups of Grand poète ivre (a tribute to Li Po) by Axel Cassel.

Jordi la cage de lumière et de vent 2008

Christophe Dalecki Petite ligne verte

IP 26 by Nicolas Sanhes (2007) shines on its classical architecture background.

And some prefer to sit in the sun and enjoy the view.

Life goes on as ever (I remember riding pony along this alley when I was a kid)

And at the end of this alley stands a huge head.

Tiny young girls next to the 6 meters and a half high Prophète by Louis Derbré (2007) and the statue of Valentine de Milan, duchesse d’Orléans in the background.

The huge profile fitting in the “Allée des reines” (row of nineteenth century statues of ancient queens)

As the half circle made of nine bronze sculptures spell out of the work’s title : Tolérance

Letter “E” of this installation by Guy Ferrer framing the landscape.

After pacing up and down the garden, the nicest place to rest is the fontaine Médicis, next to the Sénat.

There you can sit in the shade along the water.

the sculpture by Auguste-Louis Ottin features cyclops Polyphème in the process of crushing the lovers Acis and Galatée.

Marble and flesh lovers of all ages.

Jardin du Luxembourg 75006 Paris RER Luxembourg. Open from sunrise to sunset. Exhibition Artsénat 2008 up to September 21.

Paris May 17: A night at the museum

May 17 will be the fourth edition of “la nuit des musées”. In Paris, from 18 up to 23 or midnight, you can spend your Saturday night walking in museums after hours.

Nine of the Paris Museums open their door for a late free visit of their current exhibition, with some surprises : Concert at the Museum of Modern Art, Persan music and art of arranging flowers at Cernuschi museum, poetry and dancers in the dark in Zadkine museum garden, songs and tales at Victor Hugo’s house, a dreamy installation “moon dresses” at Galliera museum, lights effects and three night watches at Petit Palais, a tour of his exhibition by artist Alain Séchas at Bourdelle museum…

Musée d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris : 18 to midnight, 11 avenue du Président Wilson 75116 Paris Metro Iéna, 33(0)1 53 67 40 80 and www.mam.paris.fr/ -

Galliera, musée de la mode : 19 to midnight, 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75116 Paris Metro Iéna, 33(0)1 56 52 86 00 and www.galliera.paris.fr

Musée Cernuschi, musée des arts de l’Asie : 18 to 23, 7 avenue Velasquez 75008 Paris Metro Monceau, 33(0)1 53 96 21 72 and www.cernuschi.paris.fr/

Petit Palais : 19.30 to midnight, avenue Winston Churchill 75008 Paris Metro Champs Elysées-Clémenceau, 33(0)1 53 43 40 36 and www.petitpalais.paris.fr

Musée de la Vie Romantique : 18 to 23,16 rue Chaptal 75009 Paris Metro Saint-Georges, 33(0)1 55 42 31 95 67 and www.vieromantique.paris.fr

Musée Carnavalet : 19 to midnight , 23 rue de Sévigné 75003 Paris Metro Saint-Paul 33(0)1 4459 58 31 and www.carnavalet.paris.fr

Maison de Victor Hugo : 19 to 23, 6 place des Vosges 75004 Paris metro Saint-Paul or Bastille, 33(0)1 42 76 75 84 and www.musees-hugo.paris.fr.

Musée Bourdelle : 18 to 23, 18 rue Antoine Bourdelle 75015 Paris Metro Montparnasse, 33(0)1 49 54 73 91 and www.bourdelle.paris.fr

Musée Zadkine : 18 to 22, 100bis rue d’Assas 75006 Paris metro Vavin, 33(0)1 55 42 77 20 and www.zadkine.paris.fr

All information on all events on that night on : musees.paris.fr

I will be back soon

I love Paris, but sometimes I miss sea and sun. So I am heading south to find both, and I will be back in two weeks, with a lot things to do, places to see, and to write about.

Best wishes from Paris

I wish you all the best and a great time in Paris in 2008 !

Shall I take you for a virtual ride on Champs-Elysées ?

If you’re staying in Paris for new year’s eve, I would not advise you to get there for real at midnight, unless you really enjoy crowded and not so safe places.

Paris on two wheels : Velib

Velib is definitely the great success of this Paris season. It started on mid-July and has grown more and more popular ever since.

If you are steady on two wheels and have a clear idea on which way you’re going to take to get where you want to go, Velib is a good choice. You will find stations all over the city, about every 300 meters, and you take or leave a bike 24 hours a day. All you need is a credit card. It will cost you 1 euro for one day, 5 euros for seven days, for as many rides as you wish. The first half our is free, it’s 1 euro for an hour, 2 euros for 30′ more, and 4 euros for every 30′ more.

Riding a bike, you can get to most of inner Paris places within half an hour, which makes Velib the cheapest way to move around. This explains how popular it is, may be too much of a success.

Leaving a bike in the middle of the day in the center and business areas is a real challenge, and most of the time, it will take you about half an hour more to find a place in another station not too far away from your destination. On the contrary, all stations uphills are empty : people ride down, and go back up by bus, metro, anything but a bike, except for champions or masochists, who are not so many.

This is why I am not sure that Velib would be an option for Thursday 10/18 national transports strike, but who knows?

To know how many bikes are available in Velib stations, and get all information, go to : http://www.velib.paris.fr/