France Magazine #100 - Winter 2011-12

the best of culture, tr avel & art de vivre

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“Rhubarbe et fraises à l’orange, pralines aux amandines” by Alain Passard

Dear Readers, One hundred issues. Wow. Given that 90 percent of magazines fail within 10 years, we are pretty jazzed about making it to this milestone (our first issue came out in 1985).

It has been quite a ride. So many people have accompanied me on various parts of this wonderful journey, and all of them have been in my mind and heart these past months as we put this issue together. The hundreds of people whose stories we have told, of course, but also all the people who have helped us tell them. I wish I could introduce you to every single one.

Given that impossibility, I have picked three who have meant so very much to this magazine. I think you will enjoy learning a little more about them.

You have all seen Michel Faure’s byline—since 1987, he has written our Temps Modernes column. I met Michel in the early ’80s when he was the hip young Washington correspondent for Libération, tooling around DC in his candy-apple red 1975 Buick Le Sabre convertible (blame it on Hollywood—the French love to live out their fantasies behind the wheel of a belle américaine). I remember being COVER A collage by the impressed that this political reporter was also a keen observer •multitalented three-star chef Alain of American culture, telling his compatriots about yuppies Passard. His exuberant art work set and other social trends, so I invited him on board to the tone and palette for the design of our 100th issue, a delicious write about French society for our readers. It’s much more celebration of food and wine. difficult to write about your own country with that same detachment, that same “observer status,” but Michel has pulled it off beautifully. France Magazine simply would not be France Magazine without him.

Fewer of you are familiar with Jacques Guillard, who for the past two decades has contributed so many gorgeous photographs to our pages. On his first assignment for us, Jacques was the only photographer on a press trip with a group of female editors, all of whom were lodged in lovely bedrooms in the luxury Alpine chalet that they (OK, we) were covering.

Being the only male and the photographer, he was given the children’s room, where he wedged himself into a cot that crashed to the floor during the night. Amazingly, he has stuck with us in spite of that indignity, lending not only his photographic skills but an intimate knowledge of France that has come from decades of shooting practically every square centimeter of the country. We can no longer count the number of times that Jacques has steered us to a delightful village, a great little market, a wonderful artisan. For 20 years, he has been our ultimate insider.

Then there’s Tom Letourneau, who has been a subscriber since issue No. 1. When the going gets tough, every editor needs a Tom Letourneau. The fan who has stuck with you since the very beginning; the guy who repeatedly writes to say how much he loves your magazine, how he has saved every single issue; the groupie who even sends you the occasional gift to spur you on. The guy who lets you know when there is a change he’s not too happy about, but who makes it clear that he’s never going to leave you. For me, that’s Tom Letourneau. He’s the one I think about when I’m feeling discouraged or defeated, he’s the one who stands in for all of you when I tell my staff that giving anything but our best is simply not an option.

Bonne Année et un grand merci to you, Tom, as well as to all of our other loyal readers—you have been the biggest story of these 100 issues.

K A R E N TAY LO R Editor 2

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France magazine

Editor KAREN TAYLOR

Senior Editor/Web Editor MELISSA OMERBERG

Associate Editor RACHEL BEAMER

Copy Editor LISA OLSON

Art Direction TODD ALBERTSON DESIGN

Production Manager Associate Art Director/Webmaster PATRICK NAZER

Contributors MICHEL FAURE, now

retired from L’Express, is pursuing a variety of journalistic ventures • ROLAND FLAMINI, a former TIME Magazine correspondent, now writes a foreign policy column for the Washington-based CQ Weekly and is a frequent contributor to France Magazine • DOROTHY J. GAITER and JOHN BRECHER are New York-based writers and the authors of four books about wine and life • TRACY KENDRICK is a freelance journalist who often writes about French culture • JULIA SAMMUT is a food writer and partner in TravelFood, which offers custom culinary tours • AMY SERAFIN, formerly editor of WHERE Paris, is a Paris-based freelance journalist who has contributed to The New York Times, National Public Radio, Departures and other media.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Sylvain Boivert, Jean-Michel Cazes, Jean-Paul Kauffmann, Régine Palladin, Verveine Palladin.

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Celebrating 100 issues!

A special FOOD & WINE issue dedicated to JEAN-LOuIs PALLADIN

COVER

we’re not sure, but we think this may be a first: a food

& wine issue

with cover art by a three-star chef ! we are deeply grateful to alain passard of paris’s arpège restaurant for his lovely “rhubarbe et fraises à l’orange, pralines aux amandines”—a striking tribute to both jean - louis palladin and our

WINTER 2011-12

$5.95 U.S. / $6.95 Canada / francemagazine.org

The Bouroullec BroThers • The MoBilier NaTioNal: Four ceNTuries oF DesigN • Pleyel Plays a New TuNe

100

the best of culture, tr avel & art de vivre

100

issues. the collage is from passard’s the art of cooking with

vegetables, which is entirely illustrated with the chef’s own art work. the "rhubarbe et fraises à l'orange, pralines aux amandines" by alain Passard

cookbook is slated for publication in june

2012 by frances lincoln ltd.

POSTMASTER

PHOTO CREDITS

The Genius that was Jean-Louis p. 26-27:

© len depas, courtesy of verveine palladin ; p.

courtesy of nicholas branchina /browne trading company; pp.

29:

© fred j. maroon,

30-33: ©fred j. maroon, courtesy of ann brody cove,

© marcel loli. pp. 34-35: ©vincent lappartient, © jacques guillard /scope ; pp. 36-37: © jacques guillard / 38-39: ©ed alcock; pp. 40-41: ©jacques guillard /scope.

Bordeaux’s New Match Game pp. 42-43: ©gilles arroyo ; pp. 44-45: ©jean-bernard nadeau; pp. 46-47: fpoincet@ occitmedia . com , © jacques guillard / scope ; pp. 48-49: vincent bengold, © jacques guillard / scope ; pp. 50-51: © cordeillan-bages ; pp. 52-53: © olivier gibault; pp. 54-55: ©alain vacheron ; pp. 56-57: © jacques guillard /scope, © fabrice leseigneur ; pp. 58-59: © château la lagune, © jacques guillard /scope.

A Hunger for Change scope ; pp.

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France Magazine is published four times a year. Yearly subscriptions are $23.80 ($28.79 for Canadian and other foreign orders, $24.78 for DC residents).

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Rizzoli’s sumptuous new •DIOR Couture features a parade of exquisite hautecouture fashions shot by famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier (see Beaux Livres, page 10).

© PAT R I C K D E M A R C H E L I E R / D I O R C O U T U R E

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Edited by MELISSA OMERBERG

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Culture

Paris & the provinces

Treasure Island and Rip Van Winkle; Andrew Wyeth, widely regarded as one of America’s finest realist painters; and Jamie Wyeth, a realist painter and onetime colleague of Andy Warhol. Through Feb. 12; monabismarck.org.

Cézanne and Paris While Cézanne is inevitably associated with Provence, the painter spent much time in and around Paris during his artistic career, traveling between Aix and the capital more than 20 times. The Musée du Luxembourg’s Cézanne et Paris focuses on the master’s work in the City of Light, presented thematically in five sections: “Following Zola to Paris,” “Paris and Auvers,” “The Temptation of Paris,” “Still Lifes and Portraits” and “The Paths of Silence.”

Through Feb. 26; museeduluxembourg.fr.

Rodin Drawings During the last three decades of his life, Auguste Rodin developed a passion for drawing. The great sculptor drew every day from live models, producing series on the mythological beauty Psyche, women in dressing gowns, Cambodian dancers…. La saisie du modèle – Rodin, 300 dessins, 1890-1917 at the Musée Rodin brings together many of these alluring works. Through Feb. 26; musee-rodin.fr.

EXHIBITS PARIS

Sempé Beloved on both sides of the Atlantic for his New Yorker covers and his gentle caricatures of French society, Jean-Jacques Sempé is the star of an exhibit at Paris’s Hôtel de Ville. Sempé, un peu de Paris et d’ailleurs features more than 300 original drawings accompanied by texts written by the artist himself; the charming illustrations showcase his signature humor, poetry and understated sense of the absurd.

Through Feb. 11; paris.fr.

Living in Pompeii While many amphitheaters, temples and other public sites survived the fall of the Roman

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Empire, the same cannot be said for private homes. The few that were preserved in their entirety were located in the villages buried by ash during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The Musée Maillol brings one such house back to life in Pompéi – Un art de vivre. Each room in this reconstructed domus pompeiana is decorated with frescoes and objects, including 200 works from Pompeii and nearby sites. Through Feb. 12; museemaillol.com.

The Wyeths The Mona Bismarck Foundation examines an artistic dynasty in The Wyeths: Trois générations d’artistes américains. The show brings together more than 70 paintings and drawings by family patriarch N.C. Wyeth, renowned for lush oil illustrations of such classic tales as

Roots of Expressionism (the title references the 1986 Venice exhibition “Futurismo & Futurismi”) delves into the origins of German Expressionism. The movement grew out of two currents: the theoretical, intellectual Die Blaue Reiter, which embraced the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or “total work of art”; and Die Brücke, which emphasized the importance of emotion and instinct. The Pinacothèque de Paris contrasts these distinct schools through some 150 works, including canvases Expressionismus & Expressionismi

©LE MAGE / RMN

Louis Léopold Boilly’s portrait of one of his sons (c. 1795-1800) adds a tender note to Lille’s •anniversary retrospective at the Palais des Beaux-Arts.

Art by Numbers In Mathematical: Un dépaysement soudain, the beauty and insights of mathematics are reinterpreted through films, sound pieces and installations. Six award-winning mathematicians and a number of well-known artists—among them David Lynch and Patti Smith—collaborated on this show at the Fondation Cartier, which transforms the abstract thinking characteristic of this discipline into a sensory, intellectual experience accessible to all. Through Feb. 29; fondation.cartier.com.

by Kirchner, Nolde and Schmitt-Rottluff as well as Kandinsky, Marc and Jawlensky.

Through March 11; pinacotheque.com.

Art and Décor (see article, FM 99) presents contemporary works commissioned by the Mobilier National, the institution that supplies furniture and furnishings to French government offices and embassies. Held in two venues—the Galerie des Gobelins in Paris and the Galerie nationale de la Tapisserie in Beauvais—the exhibit features tapestries, lace and upholstered pieces created from cartoons by artists such as Shirley Jaffe and Louise Bourgeois. Through April 15; mobiliernational.fr.

© J E A N D E C A L A N / M U S É E R O D I N ; © A D A G P, PA R I S 2 0 11 ; © F R . C O C H E N N E C A N D C . R A B O U R D I N / M U S É E C O G N A C Q - J AY / R O G E R - V I O L L E T

Décors et installations

Dance of Life The Centre Pompidou is staging an unprecedented exhibit devoted to the relationship between dance and the visual arts from 1900 to the present. Danser sa vie shows how together, dance and the visual arts inspired the major figures and artistic movements of the 20th century. Presented in three sections—“The Dance of the Senses, from Auguste Rodin to Matthew Barney”; “The Abstraction of the Body, from Loïe Fuller to Alwin Nikolais”; and “The Body as Event, from Dada to Jérôme Bel”—the show illustrates the ongoing dialogue between dance and other disciplines through paintings, sculptures, installations, films, videos and performances. Through April 2; centrepompidou.fr.

Little Boxes The Musée Cognacq-Jay boasts one of the largest collections of 18th-century ornamental boxes in France. Crafted of gold and motherof-pearl, porcelain or translucent enamel, these exquisite objects—often adorned with intricate miniatures or precious stones—held everything from snuff to writing materials to mouches (faux beauty spots made of black muslin). Some even came in fanciful shapes: a dromedary, a masked face, a violin…. Boîtes en or et objets de vertu au XVIIIe

Adorned with 120 •stones, JohannChristian Neuber’s round box (c. 1789) at the Musée Cognacq-Jay is a miniature masterpiece.

“Femme nue aux longs cheveux, renversée en •arrière” (c. 1900) is part of a show at the Musée

After receiving a major donation, Paris’s •Museum of Modern Art is showcasing Giorgio de

Rodin devoted to the sculptor’s drawings.

Chirico, including his “Tempio del sole” (1971).

features nearly 200 of these precious items. Through May 6; cognacq-jay.paris.fr.

20 drawings and 11 sculptures—in a single room throughout the winter, spring and part of the summer. Through July; mam.paris.fr.

siècle

Claude Debussy A seminal figure in Impressionist music, Claude Debussy drew inspiration from poetry and the visual arts, expressing particular admiration for the works of Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, Camille Claudel, Redon, Bonnard, Carrière and Puvis de Chavennes. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth, the Orangerie’s Debussy, la musique et les arts explores his relationship with the artists of his time through paintings, drawings, pastels, letters and photographs. Feb. 21 through June 11; musee-orangerie.fr.

Giorgio de Chirico The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris recently received a major donation of works by Giorgio de Chirico, co-founder of the “Pittura metafisica” movement, from the Giorgio et Isa de Chirico Foundation. The museum is displaying these works—30 canvases,

Stories of Babar With Les Histoires de Babar, the toy gallery at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs fêtes the 80th birthday of everyone’s favorite elephant king.

The exhibit showcases some 100 original drawings from the various storybooks as well as Babar-inspired toys and games from the 1930s to the present, and archival photos, cartoons and products featuring the famous pachyderm.

Through Sept. 2; lesartsdecoratifs.fr.

AVIGNON

Vik Muniz In Vik Muniz: le Musée imaginaire, Avignon’s Collection Lambert presents 110 works by the contemporary Brazilian artist known for working in such unconventional materials as wire, thread, sugar, chocolate syrup, shredded paper and garbage (the 2010 Oscar-nominated Waste Land chronicled Muniz’s work with garbage pickers on the world’s largest dump on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro). The artist often appropriates famous art works—the “Mona Lisa,” Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and so on— that then serve as the basis for his own pieces.

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ceramic art

specially designed studio; he will also regularly perform live music at a stage on the third floor.

Feb. 24 through July 15; mac-lyon.com.

With more than 55,000 items, Sèvres’s CITÉ DE collections in Europe. Following large-scale renovations, this venerable institution (which combines a museum, a historic manufactory and a shop selling objects made on site) has just reopened its north wing. The new galleries showcase exceptional pieces dating back to Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and hailing from Asia, the Islamic World and the Americas.

The 1,300 works on view include more than 100 that have never before been exhibited; new texts and

•

Fourteenth-century pottery from Paris and Normandy on view in the Cité’s revamped north wing.

interactive stations offer insights into the vast universe of ceramic art. sevresciteceramique.fr

A special installation will also be on view at the Eglise des Célestins for the duration of the show. Through May 13; collectionlambert.fr.

EVIAN

Charlie Chaplin In January 2011, the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, announced that it had received an enormous donation comprising some 10,000 photographs tracing the entire career of Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin: Images d’un my the at Evian’s Palais des Lumières draws from this fabulous collection, bringing the Little Tramp to life through photographs, film clips, posters, press clippings and more. Through May 20; ville-evian.fr.

LILLE

Louis Boilly A gifted portraitist, clever caricaturist and master of trompe-l’œil, Louis Léopold Boilly chronicled societal changes with humor,

originality and virtuosity—all clearly evident in this namesake exhibition at Lille’s Palais des Beaux-Arts. Marking the 250th anniversary of Boilly’s birth, the show features nearly 200 paintings, drawings, lithographs, miniatures and pieces of furniture from prestigious international collections. Through Feb. 6; pba-lille.fr.

LYON

Robert Combas An exponent of the Figuration Libre movement, Robert Combas has always compared his work to rock music. Robert Combas: Greatest Hits, the first major retrospective devoted to the artist, is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from his own music collection. More than 200 works are displayed in this exhibit at Lyon’s Musée d’Art Contemporain, exploring such themes as religion, sex, love, death, war and of course music. For the duration of the show, Combas will come to the museum on a daily basis to paint and create video clips at a

Opera Lafayette at Versailles The Washington DC-based OPÉRA LAFAYETTE—an American period-instrument ensemble specializing in French 18th-century opera—has been invited to perform at Versailles’s Opéra Royal this winter. The company will début a new production of Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny’s “Le Roi et le fermier” (1762), a work once performed by Marie Antoinette at Versailles’s Théâtre de la Reine. A special VIP package is available for opera donors featuring superb seats, an invitation to the cast party, exclusive tours of the Palace and a lecture by distinguished musicologist Raphaëlle Legrand. €45 to €120; chateauversailles-spectacles.fr. For package information, visit operalafayette.org.

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METZ

Labyrinth Erre, a major thematic exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, addresses questions of loss, drifting and deambulation in contemporary art through the motif of the labyrinth. The exhibit is divided into eight sections, including “the labyrinth in architecture,” “memory: the mental maze” and “the maze as artistic metaphor.” Extending over some 20,000 square feet, it features works by French and international artists as well as specially commissioned pieces.

Through March 5; centrepompidou-metz.fr.

Bivouac Known for open-ended products that establish a dialogue with consumers—users can assemble them in ways that best suit their needs—the Bouroullec brothers aren’t interested in simply designing “cool” objects but in changing how people live and work. Bivouac, the largest museum show devoted to the preternaturally talented duo, comprises nearly all of their creations since 1998 (see article, FM 99). Through July 30; centrepompidou-metz.fr.

NORD-PAS DE CALAIS

Drawing Together Thirty museums in the Nord-Pas de Calais region join forces to showcase their collections of drawings and watercolors in Dessiner — Tracer: 30 musées; 30 expositions. The artists on view run the gamut from Géricault, Victor Hugo, Burne-Jones, Rodin and Matisse to contemporary creators such as Constantin Xanakis, Catherine Melin and Hans Op de Beeck.

Through Sept. 2012; dessinertracer.com.

© M A R T I N E B E C K- C O P P O L A / R M N ( S È V R E S , C I T É D E L A C É R A M I Q U E ) ; T H E B E AT N I K

LA CÉRAMIQUE boasts one of the finest ceramics

Beaux Livres CARTIER TIME ART Mechanics of Passion

by Jack Forster

Cartier timepieces are both marvels of engineering and triumphs of design. This new volume—like the traveling exhibition it accompanies—chronicles the technical and artistic innovations introduced by the Parisian luxury brand since 1874. Among the classics showcased here are the Santos-Dumont watch, created for the celebrated aviator; the Tank, favored by celebrities from Rudolph Valentino to Andy Warhol; and a fabulous series of mystery clocks. Skira, $80.

MONUMENTAL PARIS

by Hervé Champollion and Aude de Tocqueville

Weighing in at more than eight pounds and featuring gatefolds that extend as much as 72 inches, this tome offers sumptuous views of the City of Light. Champollion’s luminous photographs capture Paris’s grandeur—think monuments, museums, churches and mansions—but also its more intimate gardens, brasseries and covered passages. Each copy of this limited-edition boxed volume includes a signed print. The Vendome Press, $150.

MONET AT GIVERNY

by Caroline Holmes

The Impressionist master spent more than four decades at his charming country home in Upper Normandy, designing its lush gardens with an artist’s eye and creating the canvases that immortalized them. This engaging new book by an award-winning garden writer offers a fascinating biographical look at the artist’s passion for both painting and plants; its 140-plus illustrations include paintings, engravings and garden views from Monet’s lifetime as well as the present. Garden Art Press, $49.50.

DIOR COUTURE photographs by Patrick Demarchelier This lavish new volume brings together 100 haute-couture gowns designed by Christian Dior and his successors, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan and John Galliano. Gisele Bündchen, Karlie Kloss and Gemma Ward are among the top models posing in these exquisite garments, which are shot by big-name fashion photographer Demarchelier against such dramatic backdrops as the Opéra Garnier, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, a private château, a Beijing movie studio and Times Square. Rizzoli, $115.

ANDRÉ CHARLES BOULLE (1642-1732) A New Style for Europe

by Jean Nérée Ronfort

Louis XIV’s cabinetmaker André Charles Boulle was celebrated for ultra-refined works of unsurpassed virtuosity. Incorporating marquetry, precious woods and gilded bronze, his furnishings were coveted throughout Europe. The French Heritage Society helped underwrite the translation of this gorgeous new book, which accompanied an exhibit in Germany. Somogy Art Publishers. Available until March through the FHS, $85; frenchheritagesociety. org. In stores on March 7; $100.

BOUCHERON The Secret Archives

by Vincent Meylan

Frédéric Boucheron opened his first boutique in 1858; his skill and discretion soon made him a favorite of courtesans and aristocrats alike. For this new work—packed with design sketches, archival images and photographs as well as a wealth of entertaining anecdotes—author Meylan was granted unprecedented access to the Boucheron vaults, where the order books, correspondence and records he uncovered helped him tell the hidden stories behind the gems. Antique Collectors’ Club, $95.

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Sons & Images new on dvd

Music

THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939)

Claire Denamur Vagabonde

Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk French Impressions

Claire Denamur, 27, sings in English and French on her second album, a collection of down-on-your-luck love songs that were recorded in Montreal. Her deep, raspy voice pairs well with the emotional lyrics and bluesy-folksy sounds that recall such musicians as Feist and Martha Wainwright. Having spent much of her childhood in the United States, Denamur counts Johnny Cash and Tom Waits as influences. (Capitol Music/EMI)

Classical music superstar Joshua Bell has teamed up with his friend and recital partner, pianist Jeremy Denk, to reinterpret the works of three French composers: Camille SaintSaëns, Maurice Ravel and César Franck.

Bell, a virtuoso violinist who began his musical training at age four, chose Franck’s Violin Sonata to pay homage to his mentor, Josef Gringold. The album was produced by Steven Epstein. (Sony Classical)

Considered scandalous for its critique of the haute bourgeoisie, La Règle du Jeu was rejected by French audiences when it first debuted, and its negative was severely damaged by bombing during WWII. Set in the country estate of aristocrat Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) and his wife, Christine (Nora Gregor), the upstairs-downstairs tragicomedy centers on a weekend in which society players hunt, mingle and swap bedfellows. Numerous DVD extras include a documentary on the director and interviews with Alain Renoir and actress Mila Parély. (Criterion Collection) THREE COLORS

On Screen

(1993-94) Just

THE LOOK Charlotte Rampling deconstructs her own celebrity and controversial film choices

two years before he died tragically at age 54, Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski completed the final installment in his celebrated film trilogy. Working with actors Juliette Binoche (Blue), Julie Delpy (White) and Irène Jacob (Red) in Paris, Warsaw and Geneva, Kieslowski explored themes of interconnected relationships and politics. Taking their titles from the tricolore, the films explored the principles of the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. (Criterion Collection)

in director Angelina Maccarone’s biographical portrait, whose title references the star’s evocative eyes. Featuring interviews with Peter Lindbergh, Paul Auster and Juergen Teller along with numerous clips from such provocative films as The Damned, Swimming Pool and Heading South, the film is divided into nine parts. Each section covers Rampling’s reflections on topics including age, taboos, death and desire. The Look was an official selection of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Select Screenings. (Kino Lorber)

Anthony Palliser • Painter and actress Charlotte

KINO LORBER, INC.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (2010) Drawing

its inspiration from Charles Perrault’s classic tale of the same name, The Sleeping Beauty tells the story of a princess who is cursed at birth to die at a young age. Three fairies come to her rescue and cast a spell for a hundredyear sleep—setting the course for the film’s vividly surreal dreamscape.

This is the second installment in director Catherine Breillat’s series of contemporary updates of popular fairy tales. The film was the winner of the Art Cinema Award at the Venice International Film Festival. (Strand Releasing)

Rampling share the screen in Angelina Maccarone’s documentary The Look.

TOMBOY Director Céline Sciamma visits familiar coming-of-age themes in this follow-up to her

critically acclaimed debut, Water Lilies. Filmed over 20 days on a small budget, Tomboy’s story rests largely on the shoulders of gifted child actress Zoé Heran. Communicating almost entirely with her face and body, Heran’s androgynous Laure decides to pass herself off as “Mikael” after she is mistaken for a boy in her new town. Keeping this secret from her mother and father, she becomes one of the neighborhood guys—playing soccer, picking fights and experiencing summer love. However, Laure’s anxiety builds as she realizes that school will soon begin and her secret will be revealed. The film was the official selection of the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Select Screenings. (Rocket Releasing)

Additional film and music reviews as well as sound clips are available at francemagazine.org.

By RACHEL BEAMER F R A N C E • W I N T E R 2 0 11 -1 2

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Bon Voyage

Notes for the savvy traveler SAVING PLANS

•

Les Grandes Tables de l’Ile on Ile Seguin.

Right: Refined fare at Agapé Substance.

Save time

with the Louvre’s new ticketing system: In early 2012 the museum will begin selling passes to

• The site of a former Renault plant and future cultural center, Ile Seguin is now home to an iconoclastic assemblage of piping, wood fiber panels and shipping containers otherwise known as Les Grandes Tables de l’Ile. At the helm of this temporary restaurant/bar/café—slated to close after three years—is Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Daguin of the Basque Country restaurant Hegia.

His menu showcases organic fruits, vegetables and grains, including expertly seasoned salads and confits. A few standouts: mushrooms served with a mushroom-stem mousse; oven-roasted root vegetables; poached pears in agar jelly…. About €20 to €24; Jardin de l’Ile Seguin, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt; Tel. 33/1-46-10-79-72.

• Adorned with floral wallpaper, taxidermied critters and vintage art, Square Gardette is a study in retro cool. Try the pumpkin soup with crème de foie gras and flavored with tonka bean, along with the lamb shoulder accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke purée. And don’t skip dessert—an unbelievably creamy rice pudding topped with orange caramel. Lunch menu €14; dinner menu €30; Sunday brunch €26; 24 rue Saint-Ambroise, 11e; Tel. 33/1-43-55-63-07.

• Agapé Substance’s bright, contemporary décor perfectly reflects its cuisine. The day’s menu lists just a few ingredients—egg, zucchini, crab, carrot, cod, goat cheese, chocolate, cherry—but chef David Toutin’s interpretation of them is extraordinary. Flakes of crabmeat are served with pink grapefruit and a shrimp and carrot consommé; zucchini conceals chipirón, cuttlefish and poppy petals; cherry is married with avocado ice cream. Lunch menus at €39, €51 and €65; Carte Blanche menu €99; 66 rue Mazarine, 6e; Tel. 33/1-43-29-33-83.

GUIDES & APPS

• My Little Paris by

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Fany and Amandine Péchiodat et al. Adapted from a popular blog, this sassy illustrated book geared toward women offers tips, trends and favorite addresses: where to order a bespoke cocktail, get a free massage, have your hair styled in a perfect chignon …. Editions du Chêne; $19.95.

• Chronicles of Old Paris by John Baxter.

Excellent walking tours are accompanied by engaging anecdotes about some of the French capital’s most famous—and infamous—residents, from Saint Denis (France’s patron saint) to Josephine Baker. Museyon Guides, $19.95.

• Paris Pastry, a new iPhone app produced by Secrets of Paris blogger Heather Stimmler-Hall with pastry chef and author David Lebovitz, is a mouth-watering guide to the City of Light’s best pâtisseries, chocolates, candies, ice creams and chocolat chaud, for the price of a couple of macarons. $4.99.

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its permanent collection and its temporary exhibitions online, as well as a combined ticket that allows you to see both. In English; ticketlouvre.fr Save money

at France’s winter sales. The five-week event kicks off on January 11, unless you’re in the Lorraine region (January 2), the regions neighboring Spain (January 5) or Guadeloupe (January 7).

C O U R T E S Y 10 2 4 A R C H I T E C T U R E ; © T H A I T O U TA I N ; K A N A K O K U N O

TABLE TALK

Bon Voyage

Notes for the savvy traveler

The Platine •Hotel’s Hollywood

REST ASSURED

• The décor of the new Platine Hotel is inspired by famous

platinum blonde Marilyn Monroe, whose image graces many guest rooms. A savvy blend of modern design, Hollywood glam and witty kitsch, the 46-room establishment offers free Wi-Fi, iPod stations, LCD screens, a bar, a spa and a fully equipped seminar room. Located between the Eiffel Tower and the Parc André Citroën. From €149; platinehotel.fr.

• Slated to open February 14, the new W Paris - Opéra is housed in a Haussmann-era building near the Opéra Garnier. Boasting high ceilings and spectacular views, its 91 guestrooms and suites are designed to resemble lofts. Suites feature fireplaces, white marble bathrooms and advanced in-room entertainment systems; a select few come with private balconies. From €330; wparisopera.com.

• Just steps from the Tuileries gardens, the 28-room Hôtel Le Pradey enlisted the talents of luxe lingerie designer Chantal Thomass and architect Vincent Bastie in the design of its suites. Thomass’s décors exude glamour and femininity, while Bastie celebrates Hermès, integrating its furnishings, scarves and patterns into his rooms. Amenities include a guest pass to the chic new After the Rain spa just around the corner. From €255; lepradey.com.

WALK ABOUT

Cruise, Tour, Travel! has announced its 2012 schedule for The Blue Walk, a

series of guided and self-guided walking tours along the Côte d’Azur. Rather than emphasizing history, the tours—which take place in April, May and September—

GETTING AROUND

• The new TGV Rhine-Rhône offers high-speed service between Dijon and Mulhouse, reducing journey times from Paris and Lille to eastern France, Germany and Switzerland.

On the Paris to Basel and Zurich routes, passengers can now travel on new Euro Duplex trains (right)—double-deckers with multilingual screens in each carriage displaying journey information. sncf.fr • First there was Vélib’; now there’s Autolib’. Similar to Zipcar in the U.S., this new eco-friendly service offers 3,000 electric vehicles for short-term rental at selfservice stations in and around Paris. Daily and weekly subscriptions are available for a registration fee of €10 and €15 respectively; after that, you pay between €6 and €8 for each additional half hour. International driver’s license required. autolib-paris.fr • France’s answer to Megabus, Eurolines may not be luxe, but hey, it’s cheap. The company serves more than 500 destinations throughout France and Europe, with one-way fares as low as €12 from Paris to Brussels and €15 from Paris to London. eurolines.fr/eng Julia Sammut contributed to this section.

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focus on the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of this picturesque region.

Groups are based in Nice and limited to 12 people. From $1,150; cruisetourtravel.com.

J I M Y D E L P I R E ; P H O T O G R A P H I C S O C I E T Y O F O R A N G E C O U N T Y; W W W.T C - A L S A C E . E U

Room pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe. Inset: the breakfast room, featuring director’s chairs.

Nouveautés

What’s in store

HAPPY FEET Keep your tootsies warm this winter with merino wool SLIPPERS from Armor Lux, the venerable Breton company that has been satisfying mariners’ (and fashionistas’) craving for sailor stripes since 1938.

Rubberized crepe soles ensure you don’t slip on deck. $88; jcrew.com.

PRECIOUS METALS

LIGHT BRIGADE Classic mid-century Finnish designs are given a 21st-century update by WoodLabo, a new company based in Bordeaux and Turku, Finland. Its dramatic “M_Cocoon” PENDANTS designed by founder Gaël Wuithier are crafted by skilled artisans in France. mywoodlabo.com

BIKER CHIC And the winner of the yellow jersey is… Raphaëlle Bonamy, for the best overall use of bike parts. The young Southern French designer employs a unique bicycle chain mechanism to open and close the drawers of her pine “Gousset” CHEST. bonamy.org

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L E T É O & B L E T; A R M O R L U X / J . C R E W ; W O O D L A B O ; R A P H A Ë L L E B O N A M Y

When they’re not busy designing contemporary homes or furniture, architects Catherine Le Téo and Thierry Blet are creating JEWELRY that they sell at their new rue Saint-Sulpice boutique, LeTéo&Blet. Elegant gold and silver pieces—some set with semiprecious stones or diamonds—explore geometric and organic shapes such as the honeycomb. €160 to €20,000; leteoblet.com

L A L I Q U E ; C L E R C D E S I G N / D E C A S T E L L I ; D I P T Y Q U E ; R A O U L D O B R E M E L / L' O R F È V R E R I E D 'A N J O U ; © S T U D I O PAT R I C K N O R G U E T

BUBBLY BAUBLES Water’s many forms and characteristics— liquid, ice, snow, bubbles, waves—serve as the inspiration for “Eau Sensuelle,” Lalique’s first FINE JEWELRY COLLECTION. Luminous crystal cabochons and white or champagne diamonds give “Pétillante” rings their effervescence.

Available in silver and gold. $585 to $3,840; lalique.com.

SHOVEL READY Even the simplest ivies and philodendrons look stunning in François Clerc’s Screen-Pots.

With their lasercut, leaf-shaped screens, these steel PLANTERS work both indoors and out. Produced by the high-end garden furnishings company De Castelli. decastelli.it

BUCKET LIST They may look delicate, but L’Orfèvrerie d’Anjou’s “sÖ Flower” CHAMPAGNE BUCKETS—inspired by the voluptuous form of the arum—can accommodate a single bottle, two bottles or even a magnum. Also worth a toast: the company’s curvy new “SymbÖl” collection, whose gold interiors add warmth to the mix.

From €306; lorfevreriedanjou.com.

SEASONAL SCENTS Diptyque’s WINTER COFFRET brings the outside in.

Presented in an elegant black, white and gold package, this limited-edition candle set offers the seductive aromas of wood smoke, pine and spicy pomander without the winter chill. $84; dyptiqueparis.com.

WE’RE LOVIN’ IT

Aficionados of le Big Mac will soon have a more foie gras setting in which to consume their burgers and frites. Several French McDonald’s restaurants are getting a facelift, courtesy of designer Patrick Norguet; his new look—lots of white with pops of color—has a contemporary graphic sensibility. The first has opened in Villefrance-de-Lauragais, near Toulouse; another six are in the works.

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à la carte

French food & drink in America

By DOROTHY J. GAITER & JOHN BRECHER HOUSE BUBBLY

FRENCH BISTRO: SEASONAL RECIPES

by Bertrand Auboyneau and François Simon.

Wine-loving Thomas Jefferson would be proud.

Thibaut-Janisson sparkling wine (another TJ) is made in Charlottesville, VA, by Claude Thibaut and Manuel Janisson, veteran winemakers from Champagne-making families. The Blanc de Chardonnay ($30) tastes like the real deal and sports the Monticello Appellation, named for Jefferson’s home. It is a favorite at the Virginia State House, and President Obama served Thibaut-Janisson at his first White House state dinner. Available at stores listed on tjwinery.com; some ship out of state.

Beautiful and beautifully conceived.

The owner of Paris’s Bistrot Paul Bert teams up with a food critic to provide classic recipes, a look at 13 other outstanding bistros and, most charmingly, the 10 commandments of a true bistro. Why are those chalk boards so important? They’re a symbol that a true bistro is “optimistic by nature.”

Flammarion, $34.95.

PEARLS WITH POP

CALVADOS: THE SPIRIT OF NORMANDY

by Charles Neal.

An encyclopedic look at the famous applepear brandy and the people who produce it.

A must for Calvados fans but also for a much larger group: tourists. The profiles of local producers would make any visit to the region warmer. Flame Grape Press, $60.

Christine Le Tennier makes Flavor Pearls, which look like salmon eggs but are actually liquids encased in a soft skin made from seaweed extract. Sprinkle vinegar and shallot pearls on an oyster, or truffle pearls on a poached egg or make a Kir Royal by tossing raspberry pearls into a glass of bubbly. Pink grapefruit is the top flavor, followed by strawberry and lemon-pepper. $17.50 for a 1.76 ounce jar; finesaler.com.

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Can sirop ooze its way across the Atlantic?

Some of America’s top trend-spotters see a wave coming.

Sirop, or flavored syrup, has been big in France since Louis XIV’s day. The French produce about 50 million gallons annually—especially grenadine and mint.

There is even an official professional association, and laws regulate its manufacture. Sirop is used many ways—to color and flavor cocktails, yogurt, milk—but is primarily mixed with water as a lateafternoon treat for kids.

Flavoring water with syrups is an alien concept in the U.S., but that might be about to change. Kraft recently introduced MiO liquid water enhancer, its first new food and beverage brand in 15 years. While MiO is not a syrup, per se—it contains no juice—its début is an indication that some smart people believe flavored water can make a big splash.

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Most French brands don’t sell their syrups in the U.S., but several, including Combier, say they hope to ramp up sales here soon.

Meantime, to be ahead of the flavored-water curve, try Teisseire and Monin. Teisseire is France’s top brand, and its syrups are available at some U.S. stores and at amazon. com for about $10 for a 600-ml container.

Syrup makers suggest a ratio of one part syrup to 7 or 9 of water, but start with 10 because the flavors can be strong. Teisseire’s grenadine is especially tasty, with hints of all sorts of red fruits such as cherries and raspberries, and a soothing touch of vanilla.

Monin is the top brand in the U.S., and although it’s French-owned, the syrups it sells in the Americas are made in Clearwater, FL, sometimes with different recipes than the French versions. Monin is the familiar 750-ml bottle that seems to be behind every bar. Most of its sales are in fact to bars, restaurants and coffeehouses. Vanilla, used in coffee, is the top seller. Monin’s pomegranate is lovely, quite fruity and just a little goes

a long way—you’ll want to try even less than 1 to 10. It’s about $10. Monin USA executive Bob Hager says sales at its Web site, moninstore.com, have been rising. Still, while he’s happy about the trend, he knows it will take some time to change American tastes. “We grew up on Coca-Cola. The French grew up on flavored water.”

C H R I S T I A N S A R R A M O N ; T H I B A U T- J A N I S S O N ; C H R I S T I N E L E T E N N I E R ; M O N I N

Coming to a Glass of Water Near You

Ariane Daguin

NEW YORK’S GIRL FROM GASCONY, STILL DOING WHAT SHE LOVES

Ariane Daguin and a friend were working at a pâté store in Manhattan in 1985 when opportunity walked through the door. Two men with lobes of raw foie gras from their farm in upstate New York wanted the store to sell their product, but the owners balked.

So Daguin (daughter of Michelin-starred chef André Daguin, famous for his foie gras and

of trucks. We service the entire Northeast corridor and Chicago, and, through independent airline carriers including FedEx, the whole United States. All of New York’s four-star restaurants use our products.

Foie gras is controversial. Animal-

duck-breast dishes) and her friend decided they would sell the duck livers themselves. In 2010, that company, D’Artagnan, celebrated its 25th year in business as the country’s largest purveyor of domestically grown foie gras and other gourmet foods. We asked Daguin, now the sole owner, what factors influenced her decision to establish D’Artagnan and how she has helped change what Americans eat.

C O U R T E S Y O F D ’A R TA G N A N

What made you decide to follow those guys with the foie gras?

I was already very familiar with foie gras. I was raised in Gascony and spent a lot of time on my cousins’ farms. This opportunity came exactly when chefs coming out of the Culinary Institute of America wanted to put something else on their menus besides the usual chicken, lamb and beef. Basically, I wanted to do here what I knew from Gascony.

You were offering organic chickens before the government permitted the use of the word “organic” on a label. What led you in that direction?

My priority has always been the same: to put the best-tasting food on the plate. That means the best-raised animals, animals bred without stress, animals with muscles developed from walking around, roaming. An animal that has developed slowly is going to taste the best. As we grew the company, we were able to influence how farmers raised their animals. In the beginning, they thought we were crazy. Now they come to us. We work with a lot of farmers—for pork alone, we have 27 pig farmers in Missouri. Sometimes we put together cooperatives of small, family-owned farms to supply us.

( ) Talking ducks, pigs and chickens with…

These practices invariably mean that your products cost more. Isn’t it difficult to sell luxury items in today’s economy?

We haven’t seen much of the recession during the past three years. Increasingly, people are putting a greater priority on eating good, healthy food such as nitrate-free bacon and preservative-free charcuterie. Thanks to that growing demand, we’ve been spared the downturn. Still, our customers are a small minority of the overall population.

You started with foie gras, but now D’Artagnan is also the nation’s leading purveyor of pâtés, game and many other delicacies. Your headquarters is in Newark, NJ, and we’ve read that your revenues went from $120,000 to $50 million in a little more than two decades. How many employees do you have?

We have 152 employees and our own fleet

rights activists have argued that force-feeding ducks and geese is cruel. In 2012, California’s ban becomes effective. What do you plan to do?

We were able to nip in the bud efforts to ban foie gras in Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. The ban in Chicago lasted for a year, then we were able to reverse it. We may bring a legal challenge in California. People make decisions after listening to activists. Then when we are able to tell our side of the story, to explain the methodology, they understand. Sometimes people anthropomorphize the duck’s body.

Birds have beaks, not mouths. A duck doesn’t have a gag reflex. Its esophagus is not sensitive. When a mother bird wants to show her love for her baby bird, she puts her beak as far down as possible into its esophagus and then regurgitates into it—this is how she feeds it.

You are the eighth generation of your family involved in food, and you have received many honors. But when you were younger, you wanted to be a journalist and came to New York to study at Barnard College of Columbia University.

I always liked to write, and I knew that it was going to be my brother, not me, who was going to follow in my father’s footsteps. You know, the father-son thing; that’s the way it was in those days. I dropped out of Barnard because I ran out of money and went back to cooking— that’s what I knew—and that was great. I’m glad to be doing this. It’s been a wonderful life.

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Interview

Pictures at an Exhibition the national gallery of art, putting the impressionists where they belong

by ROLAND FLAMINI

Was designing a new installation part of the overall renovation plan?

•

Curator Mary Morton and chief of design Mark Leithauser work together on the new layout.

When the newly renovated galleries of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings reopen at Washington’s National Gallery of Art on January 29, don’t expect to find everything where it was when they closed two years ago. Works that once hung together may well be in separate rooms, sometimes with unexpected new neighbors. Instead of the more orthodox monographic approach of the past, Mary Morton, curator and head of French paintings at the NGA, has opted for an imaginative—and subjective—installation that makes historic and stylistic connections between paintings so they can “talk to each other.” During a recent “walk through” of a diagram of the new galleries, Morton, who came to the NGA from the Getty in Los Angeles, elaborated on her novel approach.

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Sounds like a huge undertaking. How long have you been working on this project?

Since I arrived at the Gallery in January 2010.

It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come here.

The opportunity to work with one of the greatest collections of this material in the world was pretty irresistible. Just to get to know the paintings and let them push you around takes a long time. You have to get to know everything: the paintings themselves, their histories, their meanings. Then you start listening for how they want to place themselves so they can have dialogues and conversations with each other.

What do you mean by “dialogues and conversations”?

For example, one gallery is devoted to activity

© R O B S H E L L E Y / N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y O F A R T, W A S H I N G T O N , D C

The renovation created a great opportunity to reconsider this collection, which is arguably the most popular part of the NGA’s holdings: the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, from the mid-19th century to about 1910.

We kept the basic chronology but diverged from the monographic approach, where you had all the Manets together, all the Monets together, all the Renoirs together.

The first of the revamped Impressionist galleries displays the Barbizon school, the avant-garde movement in French painting in the 1840s and 1850s.

•Corot, considered its great master, is known mostly as a landscape painter. His “Agostina” (center), which was previously in this gallery, is still displayed here, but curator Mary Morton has now added “Gypsy Girl with Mandolin” and “Italian Girl,” previously part of the East Building’s “Small French Paintings” exhibit.

Placing them on either side of “Agostina” shows Corot to be a great figure painter, even though he never exhibited his portraits.

on the English Channel coast. There you’ll find Eugène Boudin, who spent much of his life in Normandy. We have a lot of works by Boudin, a painter of skies and oceans, and we took the best of them and put them here.

Gustave Courbet arrived in the 1860s, discovered Boudin’s paintings, discovered the

Gallery 84 is our “Cézannomania” gallery.

It is a tribute to the late Philip Conisbee [senior curator of European Paintings, who died in 2008]. Cézanne and Chardin were his favorite painters. We show “Boy in a Red Waistcoat” and still lifes and landscapes, which are Cézanne’s great strengths.

“Just to get to know the paintings and let them push you around N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y O F A R T, W A S H I N G T O N , D C

takes a long time. Then you start listening for how they want to place themselves.” skies and started to paint these same subjects.

Claude Monet was also from the same area. In the early 1860s, he did these beautiful paintings that again were about the mercurial conditions of the English Channel. Seeing these works together creates a different experience from seeing each alone.

Yet you still have one gallery devoted entirely to Paul Cézanne, and another to Monet….

We also have “Hamlet at Payannet, near Gardanne,” one of eight Cézannes given to the White House as a gift to the nation by Charles A. Loeser—at the time of his donation, the Gallery did not yet exist. When Jacqueline Kennedy arrived at the White House, all the paintings on view there were

by American artists, but she also displayed the Cézannes. She was a great Francophile and didn’t care whether the paintings were American or not.

And the Monet room?

The Monet room includes two of the paintings from his series on the Rouen Cathedral.

They were acquired by [one of the National Gallery’s founding benefactors, American banker and collector] Chester Dale, who essentially established the National Gallery’s modern French collection with his gift of 304 paintings in 1962. The Dale collection was a revelation because it was the only American collection of its breadth and quality that was still intact.

Are all the paintings on display from the Dale Collection?

No. There will be about 150 paintings in all, and it will be a good mixture of works donated by Dale, by Paul Mellon, by Eugene Meyer, by Averill Harriman and others. But the bulk is from Dale. In the 1920s and 1930s, Dale and his wife, Maud, bought more than 800 paintings, mostly American and French. They were interested in French Modernism, all the great names.

They eventually winnowed their collection down to its core and gave it to the National Gallery. Dale was courted by everybody, but the National Gallery was just taking off, and he knew that here, he would have his name in lights.

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boulevards, as is evident in his “Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight” (above).

Gallery 86 includes five works by Mary Cassatt, an American who was described by art critic Gustave Geffroy as one of the grandes dames of Impressionism.

Yes, this gallery also shows a painting by Berthe Morisot as well as works by Monet, Manet, Tissot and Degas, all focusing on the female experience—women and children, and so on. Then in the next gallery, we move right back into the sunshine. This is what people come to see: sunlight, beautiful girls in beautiful dresses, the countryside, flowers, the river.

Mainly the Monets, the Renoirs. Judging by the number of postcards sold in the museum shops, Renoir’s “A Girl with a Watering Can” 22

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is the most popular picture in the NGA. Fans will want to come back and see it, as it has just been restored. It’s not Renoir’s strongest painting, but it’s very beautiful. How can you resist it? Then there’s Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol–Madame Monet and Her Son,” the newly cleaned “Bridge at Argenteuil”….

Has this approach required more space or less?

We now have more space, including a gallery that had previously been used for storage. This is a young collection—not like the Metropolitan’s or Philadelphia’s, which have been receiving donations for more than a

century—so we don’t have much in reserves.

All the good stuff will be out.

Why is the emphasis of the NGA’s French collection on the Impressionists?

Because that’s what people were collecting when the National Gallery opened. We don’t have much Barbizon and we don’t have much Academic painting because the Gallery came into being after both genres had gone out of fashion.

Yet your permanent display goes up to the 20th century.

Yes, the last gallery focuses on Paris, circa 1900,

N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y O F A R T, W A S H I N G T O N , D C , C H E S T E R D A L E C O L L E C T I O N

One of the themes evoked in the new galleries is Paris at the time of Baron Haussmann’s reconstruction of the city, between 1853 and 1870. Manet’s •paintings, such as “The Railway” (right), show little enthusiasm for the modern urban landscape. Pissarro, however, reveled in the new streets and

Delacroix doing in the avant-garde 19thcentury gallery? Some people might feel a bit uneasy—and I hope they do, but not in a negative way. It’s their collection, and those who visit regularly have a very proprietary feeling about it—and they let you know that. This re-hanging is not about provoking people but rather about the drama that occurs when you move pictures about and the lively interactions that they have. This is a dynamic that people will react to. They’ll have an experience that is more esthetic, art historical, thematic.

N AT I O N A L G A L L E R Y O F A R T, W A S H I N G T O N , D C , G I F T O F H O R A C E H AV E M E Y E R I N M E M O R Y O F H I S M O T H E R , L O U I S I N E W. H AV E M E Y E R

You recently visited Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, where newly renovated galleries, including the Impressionist collection, were re-opened in late October. How does the Orsay display differ from what you have done at the National Gallery?

so you’ve got Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, of course. Maud Dale loved Modigliani; she bought 13 of his paintings, one of the largest groupings anywhere. Modigliani has been in storage for the most part, taken out occasionally for shows in the [National Gallery’s] East Building because chronologically, he’s a 20th-century painter. But in terms of context, he is really more 19th-century. In that gallery we also have Picasso in his Blue Period and his Rose Period, including his early masterpiece “Family of Saltimbanques.”

Picasso is looking at Toulouse-Lautrec.

Picasso’s not looking at Modigliani so much, but Modigliani is looking at Picasso….

Are there ever any surprises when translating the layout you have done on paper into actual paintings on gallery walls?

That’s the most magical part of the whole process. You start with a flat floor plan, with postcard-size reproductions of paintings, and you try to build in as much flexibility as

Overall, I have to say that the Orsay renovation really knocked me out. A difficult space has been transformed. Just installing wood flooring over that industrial floor changes everything; it makes it warm and quiet. Choosing dark purple and other deep colors for the walls was a radical departure from neutral tones, but they work very well. The credit goes to director Guy Cogeval. By the way, the decorative-arts galleries, another of his special interests, are fantastic.

The Orsay collection is huge, and the

“You try to build in as much flexibility as possible for the ‘live hang.’

But once you start putting them up, some paintings will always demand to be moved.”

Tell us a little about the basics of hanging pictures in a gallery.

The designers work on the gallery setting with me. Some museums stack, but that’s not the NGA’s style. As for wall colors, there’s not much of a story. The paintings themselves have so much color that we use very neutral shades: warm grays, greens, blues. The typical hanging height is 63 to 65 inches from the center of the painting to the ground, but the larger ones are hung higher. Really, though, it’s a question of holding up each painting and saying, “higher…lower…right there” until we get it right.

possible for the “live hang.” But once you start putting them up, some will always demand to be moved.

Do you consider this installation revolutionary?

It’s not revolutionary, no. It will disturb some people, and I hope to get a lot of reactions with people asking, What were you thinking? Why did you move that?

Why did you break up Cézanne? What’s

display is not as varied as ours but it is more creative than before. There are monographic moments, but the focus is more on the history of the collection. There are a number of wall texts about this, and I think they are encouraging the idea of collecting among French people. There are references to several big collectors who donated works, including Etienne Moreau-Nelaton and Gustave Caillebotte. Our main story at f the NGA is Dale.

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the 100th issue

Palladin was fearless in and out of the kitchen. Here he poses for an audacious ad for a blender. RIGHT: One of the chef's handwritten menus.

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Locally sourced, seasonal ingredients inspired Jean-Louis’s cooking long before they became trendy; a fall menu featured this cream of pumpkin soup with squab and black truffle quenelles.

RIGHT:

President Ronald Reagan, celebrating his birthday at the famous Watergate eatery.

“We met when we were both 20 and worked at Michel Guérard’s, in Eugénie-les-Bains. There are so many things that frequently remind me of him that it is hard to find one in particular. I do remember that he was the first to have me taste Lillet, this French apéritif from Southwestern France. We are both from there, but I had never tasted it. Since then, I cannot drink Lillet without immediately thinking of Jean-Louis.” — ALAIN DUCASSE Y IN MONTE CARLO AT CRAIG CLAIBORNE'S BIRTHDAY PART DANIEL BOULUD AND GÉRARD BOYER. WITH BRUNO CIRINO, ALAIN DUCASSE,

LIVRE d’OR

Friends and colleagues remember Jean-Louis Palladin, sharing how he is still present in their lives.

“I try not to swear (obviously in English now), but when I do, I always remember Jean-Louis. He loved to curse in English just for the sport of it. I will also never forget that he taught me that ingredients are beautiful—so why hide them or decorate them in excess? That translated into a mantra we have at Le Bernardin that reflects the philosophy of JeanLouis and Gilbert Le Coze, and that is mine too: “The fish is the star of the plate.”

— ERIC RIPERT

“My chestnut soup is a rendition of his—it was the most incredible soup I’d ever had.

He made quenelles of chestnuts, squab and duck confit and poured a thick purée of all the other ingredients over the quenelles.

He influenced the way I cook fish, too.

I reduce the broths and stocks heavily and always cook it with respect.

I use the bones, scales, every part imaginable.”

WITH ERIC RIPERT AT A LONG ISLAND CHARITY DINNER FO R THE THE PERLMAN MUSIC PROGR AM.

— MICHELLE BERNSTEIN

IN LAS VEGAS, COOKING FOR A FUNDRAISING EVENT WITH DANIEL BOULUD.

“I think of him when I cook game.

It was one of his specialties, being the true child of the Southwest that he was. Anything he did that had a connection to his roots took on a special dimension. I also can’t pick up live sea scallops, fresh sea urchins or live baby eels without thinking of him. He loved his piballes, which he knew from Southwestern France, and convinced Rod Mitchell to help him find them up in Maine. They were a total discovery for Rod at the time.”

— DANIEL BOULUD

“I fell in love with his way of cooking, and I changed my profession from pastry to savory cook because of Jean-Louis. He was a smoker, and he always added too much salt. So when I think I may be oversalting my food, I think about JLP, and I laugh and put the shaker away. Actually, I think about him all the time. I think he is in heaven and looking down on all the great chefs.”

— MICHEL RICHARD

FISHING WITH MICHEL RICHAR D ON PUGET SOUND.

“Jean-Louis’s brioche recipe is in my French Laundry Cookbook. Who knew brioche could be like that? I also do a version of his lobster, beet and leek dish; it was pure genius, really compelling.

Can you imagine if he could still be evolving today?

Look at his menus, the complexity of them, the size of them—five to 13 courses. And to be able to produce them daily at a very, very high level!

Genius.”

— THOMAS KELLER

“Jean-Louis had this obsession with how foie gras and lobster should be cooked. I’ll never forget the time my poaching liquid was too hot for the lobster, and he said, “The lobster is dying, you’re killing it, your bouillon is too hot!” One of his favorite sayings when you messed up food was, “Are you brain damaged?” That will forever stick in my head. But what I remember the most is that he always believed that you should “listen to the food, it will tell you how it wants to be cooked.” As strange as that might sound, it made sense then and still does now.” — JACQUES VAN STADEN

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La Lagune became the first grand cru classé vineyard in the Médoc to open guest rooms and a restaurant designed for the general public. In spite of its resounding success, it remains the only one to have done so—an indication of just how hesitant the great châteaux are to take on anything that might distract them from their winemaking.

The initiative was part of the Frey family’s extensive investments in the property, which they purchased in 2000. Renovations to the estate’s lovely 18th-century chartreuse, built by the same architect responsible for Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre, included a charming vaulted country kitchen with an adjacent herb garden. It is here that chef Florian Lameul holds court, preparing meals amidst a blinding array of copper pots, bouquets of flowers and bowls overflowing with fruits and vegetables. Guests dine at a long wooden table, just across from his gorgeous brass-trimmed Lacanche range.

Lameul shifts seamlessly between cooking for professional lunches and dinners hosted by the owners in the formal dining room and preparing meals for châteaux guests. His style— classic and not fussy (“I don’t ‘deconstruct’ or ‘revisit’ anything”)—is well suited both to the demands of his job and the relaxed décor. When it comes to wine pairings, he has a lot of latitude, given that the Freys also own Billecart-Salmon Champagne and the Jaboulet Ainé collection of vineyards in the Rhône Valley. “We serve all of their wines here,” says Lameul, who also fills the role of sommelier. “Over the years, IN 2004, CHÂTEAU La Lagune became the first grand cru classé vineyard in the Médoc to open guest rooms and a restaurant designed for the general public. In spite of its resounding success, it remains the only one to have done so—an indication of just how hesitant the great châteaux are to take on anything that might distract them from their winemaking.

The initiative was part of the Frey family’s extensive investments in the property, which they purchased in 2000. Renovations to the estate’s IN 2004, CHÂTEAU

La Lagune became the first grand cru classé vineyard in the Médoc to open guest rooms and a restaurant designed for the general public. In spite of its resounding success, it remains the only one to have done so—an indication of just how hesitant the great châteaux are to take on anything that might distract them from their winemaking.

The initiative was part of the Frey family’s extensive investments in the property, which they purchased in 2000. Renovations to the estate’s lovely 18th-century chartreuse, built by the same architect responsible for Bordeaux’s Grand Théâtre, included a charming vaulted country kitchen with an adjacent herb garden. It is here that chef Florian Lameul holds court, preparing meals amidst a blinding array of copper pots, bouquets of flowers and bowls overflowing with fruits and vegetables. Guests dine at a long wooden table, just across from his gorgeous brass-trimmed Lacanche range.

Lameul shifts seamlessly between cooking for professional lunches and dinners hosted by the owners in the formal dining room and preparing meals for châteaux guests. His style— classic and not fussy (“I don’t ‘deconstruct’ or ‘revisit’ anything”)—is well suited both to the demands of his job and the relaxed décor. When it comes to wine pairings, he has a lot of latitude, given that the Freys also own Billecart-Salmon Champagne and the Jaboulet Ainé collection of vineyards in the Rhône Valley. “We serve all of their wines here,” says Lameul, who also fills the role of sommelier. “Over the years, IN 2004, CHÂTEAU La Lagune became the first grand cru classé vineyard in the Médoc to open guest rooms and a restaurant designed for the general public. In spite of its resounding success, it remains the only one to have done so—an indication of just how hesitant the great châteaux are to take on anything that might distract them from their winemaking.

The initiative was part of the Frey family’s extensive investments in the property, which they purchased in 2000. Renovations to the estate’s IN 2004, CHÂTEAU

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F the 100th issue

F IVE DAYS A WEEK, A PETITE 35-YEAR-OLD

woman named Naima shows up at the Hôtel de Matignon, the Prime Minister’s official residence in the stately 7th arrondissement. She puts on chef ’s whites, heads to the kitchen, then peels, slices and sautés for seven hours before taking the métro back to Sarcelles, a universe away from the gilded salons of Matignon.

Ten miles from Paris, Sarcelles is in one of the country’s notorious banlieues chaudes, where immigrants live in decrepit apartment blocks, teenage drug dealers congregate in doorways, unemployment hovers above 20 percent and residents are better known for cooking cars than food. Most have little reason to be optimistic about their future.

But in the spring of 2010, blue flyers began appearing in community associations throughout Sarcelles: “15 Femmes en Avenir. Saisissez votre CHANCE!” They promised 15 local women age 25 and up a yearlong cooking course at a state-run technical school, along with apprenticeships in renowned chef Alain Ducasse’s restaurants around Paris. Those who passed a national exam at year’s end would receive a culinary degree (a “CAP cuisine”) and the offer of a full-time job in one of the chef’s establishments.

Few who saw the flyers had ever heard of Ducasse, but more than 80 applied, taking a basic competency

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test and sitting for an interview with a jury of local government officials and social workers. Most were unemployed, lacking the skills to find jobs other than cleaning or serving fast food. Suddenly, though, it didn’t matter; those who demonstrated that they were the most highly motivated could take part in an adventure beyond their imaginings. Naima was one of them.

FROM LEFT:

Bahria arranges trays of miniature desserts in the Ritz kitchen; Restaurant Lasserre’s Christophe Moret joins apprentice Habsatou as she shows off an artfully arranged salad.

“Femmes en Avenir” is Ducasse’s effort

to help better integrate the alienated and largely immigrant population of the suburbs into French society.

His company pays the women’s salaries during their apprenticeships— approximately €200,000—while the French government and the Aéroports de Paris foundation fund the training, also around €200,000. The

aux choux to coq au vin. They would also study basic academic subjects such as French and math. The rest of their time would be spent in one of Ducasse’s establishments around Paris, receiving hands-on training.

The experience turned out to be almost as much of an education for Ducasse and his team as it was for the women, many of whom struggled to navigate between their culture of origin and that of their adopted homeland, the pull of their past and the allure of a new future.

For example, during the meeting at Aux Lyonnais, the kitchen had sent out a piece of steak for Ducasse to taste, a rare grass-fed appellation. He cut it up and passed it around for the women to try, urging “Goûtez, goûtez, mémorisez.” Many were Muslim and quietly refused the offer because the meat was not halal. Others were religious but pragmatic, willing to bend the rules when necessary. Hanen silently uttered the word Bismillah— Arabic for “in the name of God”— and tried the meat. “Life is so hard and we don’t choose our destiny,” she later explained. “If I have to taste something to earn my living, then God will understand.”

Hanen has walked a delicate

tightrope since coming to France from Algeria a decade ago. She has found a better life here but experienced her share of racism, too—one employer’s derogatory comments drove her into a depression that lasted four months.

When she applied for the apprenticeship, she showed the jury her most prized possessions, two cookbooks her father gave her mother after a trip to France in the late 1970s, shortly before his death. One was a culinary encyclopedia illustrated with pictures of smiling French women with bouffant hairdos lighting candles on dinner tables.

Exotic recipes such as fondue bourguignonne and civet de lapin fascinated Hanen, but she had tried very few of them because she could not find the right ingredients and had trouble understanding some of the instructions.

After her selection, she thought, “I wonder if these books weren’t a sign.”

During the first week of her training, Hanen and the other women received their very own knife kits and chef ’s whites with their names embroidered on the front. Despite the accoutrements, the program was at times a little overwhelming. When Kadidiatou, who came from Mali, met her first lobster, all she could think was: scorpion. The beast was

alive and moving, and when the chef handed it to her, she screamed and threw it back at him.

In general, though, the women found their footing relatively quickly among their younger colleagues in the kitchens. The chefs were remarkably solicitous, taking time to answer questions even when they had numerous pots and pans on the go. In the case of Naima, whose apprenticeship at Spoon helped her to get the job at Matignon, the head chef gave her three months to practice the basics, then pushed her to work on the line, rotating her through different stations. “He pressured me, saying I had to learn how to do service, and I thank him for that now,” she said.

“Certain things were challenging, like the names of the various fish, meats and vegetables, which I knew only in my own language. But all in all, it was an exhilarating experience.”

In the couple of instances when a woman was unhappy in her assigned restaurant, Ducasse immediately moved her elsewhere. Lynda, a 37year-old Algerian with streaked blond hair, started her apprenticeship at Aux Lyonnais but discovered that most of what they served was pork—a food that she, as a Muslim, could not eat.

FROM LEFT:

Aziza was among the first women accepted into the program.

Here she looks out the window of her high-rise in Sarcelles; attends cooking classes a world away with fellow trainee Kebire; and apprentices at Ducasse’s traditional French bistro, Benoit.

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Though Ducasse didn’t see the women often, he knew everything that was going on, thanks to weekly updates from his staff. “Generally, the problems didn’t involve peeling onions,” he later reflected. “We didn’t know that we would have to deal with these things when we took this project on, but they became our responsibility. We tried to facilitate when we could, to use our connections. Not to perform miracles but just to help these women gain access to certain things. We started this, and we had to follow through.”

A

ll 12 of the women

who remained in the program passed the final exam.

Held in May, it was a two-day test that included a written section in French and math as well as a four-and-a-halfhour practical cooking demonstration.

That same month, they were invited to prepare a buffet lunch at the Prime Minister’s residence, an honor none of them would even have dreamed of a year earlier.

The women in their whites, Ducasse and his assistants, the program’s various partners and a sprinkling of press all gathered under the gilt ceiling while Prime Minister Fillon made a speech. “This program proves that with good ideas and a sense of solidarity, it is possible to change people’s lives,” he said. Then Ducasse announced that the program would continue and expand, opening to residents of other neighborhoods and involving more chefs: Joël Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Thierry Marx, Christophe Moret, Michel Roth and Frédéric Vardon.

Several of them now have apprentices from the second group of 15 women, who began their training in September 2011. “I find the project interesting, and it’s important to transmit knowledge,” says Vardon, who is currently overseeing a 48-year-old mother of three from Gabon. “If our profession can help somebody, that’s great.” At Guy Savoy’s haute cuisine restaurant, second-in-command David Devel is training another apprentice, a

mother of five. He explains, “These women don’t have to work in highend restaurants like ours later on. We are teaching them rigor, helping them make up for lost time, and if they pass the exam and continue, doors will open. The restaurant industry is so varied, there’s a job for everyone.”

Vardon and Devel both traveled up to Villiers-le-Bel last May to take part in the selection process for the second group. Once again, the jury was looking for women who displayed motivation, though the first year taught them to be even more discerning. “We tried to be extremely careful in determining the type of woman who is likely to succeed,” said Quentin Vicas, the Ducasse employee who has run the program from the beginning. “They must be very dynamic and have a true passion for cuisine. It can’t just be something they saw on television.

They must also be relatively strong mentally and physically in order to deal with the difficulties of working in a kitchen. There’s a lot of pressure, it’s very hard work, you have to be able to put up with the stress.”

LEFT: After

completing her apprenticeship at Ducasse’s Spoon, Naima snagged a fulltime job at the Prime Minister’s official residence, working under chef Christophe Langrée.

BELOW: Naima, who graduated at the top of her class, poses with her handiwork in the kitchen of the Hôtel Matignon.

duration. “It pained me to turn down the job,” she admitted quietly.

Others have gone off on their own.

Hanen received a job offer from the restaurant at the Ritz hotel but decided to continue her training, specializing in pastries, with financing from France’s state employment agency.

Lynda has put together a business plan to open a pastry shop in Sarcelles, where the town hall has informed her they have a locale she can use, rentfree. But months have passed, and she can’t get the right person at the mayor’s office to call her back. Angry and frustrated, she is thinking of giving up. “She has to keep trying,” said Ducasse. “If it doesn’t work out, maybe she has to accept working for someone else. That’s life—it’s not easy to start a business.”

The chef intercedes to make things

As for the first group, none of the women

sought restaurant work, since the unforgiving hours were not compatible with their responsibilities as mothers. Nonetheless, seven landed jobs.

Two are at Salon La Première, the first-class lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport where Ducasse oversees the kitchen, and where they did their apprenticeships. One is working nearby at the Hyatt hotel, another is at the Auchan supermarket complex in Roissy, and two have found employment at Sogeres, a corporate catering service.

Kebire is not among them. She put off her dialysis treatments in order to finish the course and passed the exam “with brio,” as she said proudly. Soon afterward she received an offer to cook in a restaurant at the airport. But she had to turn it down because she became pregnant after going back to her former partner. Given her health problems, it was a risky pregnancy, and she had to undergo daily dialysis for the

happen when he can. In the spring, just before the ceremony at Matignon, he had a quick talk with Prime Minister Fillon. “I told him that it was important that he hire one of these women, that he serve as an example.”

The Prime Minister agreed, giving a job to Naima, who finished at the top of her class. He has also taken on an apprentice from the new group.

Ducasse is thrilled at the involvement of new partners such as Matignon and the additional chefs. From the beginning, he had hoped that others would take inspiration from this project, expanding it from 15 to 150 or 15,000 lives changed. “If you open the door a little bit, people will surprise you,” he said. “They will walk through f and give it all they can.”

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THIS PAGE: Bruno

Borie, owner of Château DucruBeaucaillou (left), is an accomplished cook and frequently prepares meals for clients as well as friends.

Here he shows off the quality ingredients he says are the foundation of any good meal.

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Calendrier French Cultural Events in North America

January-March 2012

gravitas of François Charles Hugues Laurent Pouqueville in her • Henriette Lorimier (1775-1854) captured the 1830 portrait of the historian, featured in “Royalists to Romantics.”

NOTA BENE Beyond being suspected of moral laxity, female artists in 18th-century France faced numerous practical challenges that forced them to exercise their talents outside mainstream avenues. They could not attend life drawing classes, and their membership in the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture was capped at four in 1783. The National Museum of Women in the Arts’ 25th-anniversary exhibition, R oyalists to R omantics : W omen A rtists from the L ouvre , V ersailles , and O ther F rench N ational C ollections , explores how the Revolution, rise and fall of Napoleon and restoration of the monarchy each ushered in a new landscape to negotiate. While viewers might recognize some of the 35 names represented —Marie Antoinette’s favorites, Elisabeth Vigée-LeBrun and Anne Vallayer-Coster, to name two—the majority will likely be discoveries. Henriette Lorimier’s portrait of her longtime companion, the diplomat and writer François Pouqueville, is among 77 works on display. Feb. 24 through July 29 in Washington, DC; nmwa.org.

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EXHIBITS New York IMPRIMERIE NATIONALE

Printing for Kingdom, Empire, and Republic: Treasures from the Archives of the Imprimerie Nationale presents more than 200 objects spanning the history of France’s official printing works, whose origins date back to 1538. Punches, plates and other tools of the trade share the spotlight with a variety of exquisite finished products, among them royal folios from the reign of Louis XIV and artist’s books by the likes of Bonnard and Miró. Through Feb. 4 at the Grolier Club; grolierclub.org.

Boston

Dallas JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

Whether showcasing men’s skirts or sending plus-size models down the runway, Jean Paul Gaultier has consistently embraced an irreverent and fun-loving aesthetic that celebrates individuality.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk marks the 35th anniversary of his first prêt-à-porter collection with a retrospective of his work. Emphasizing haute couture, the show presents 120 outfits, most never before exhibited. A wide assortment of other materials—from sketches to film clips to stage costumes— highlights the designer’s fondness for collaborating with fellow artists as varied as Pedro Almodóvar, Maurice Béjart and of course Madonna. Through Feb. 12 at the Dallas Museum of Art; dm-art.org.

D A N I E L A R N A U D E T / G E R A R D B L O T / R É U N I O N D E S M U S É E S N AT I O N A U X / A R T R E S O U R C E , N Y; M L B R I A N E ; © 2 0 11 W A LT E R S I LV E R / P E A B O D Y E S S E X M U S E U M

DEGAS AND THE NUDE

Degas and the Nude, the first museum exhibition devoted exclusively to the subject, surveys the artist’s treatment of the human body across half a century. It opens with early life studies from his student years in the 1850s and follows with sections on such topics as his brothel monotypes, his “naturalist” nudes shown performing their toilette and his final years, when bathers dominated his focus. All told, some 160 of Degas’s paintings, sculptures and works on paper are on view, sometimes juxtaposed with pieces by Ingres, Delacroix, Matisse and other masters who either inspired or drew inspiration from him.

Through Feb. 5 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; mfa.org.

Miami Beach LAURENT GRASSO

The 2008 winner of France’s prestigious Prix Marcel Duchamp, which includes a show at the Centre Pompidou, multimedia artist Laurent Grasso is fascinated by both paranormal activity and scientific phenomena such as light and electromagnetic waves. The works displayed in Laurent Grasso: Portrait of a Young Man take their inspiration from the melding of art and science that occurred during the Renaissance. They include “Studies into the Past,” a series of paintings that combine elements from masterpieces by artists such as Botticelli and Mantegna with depictions of meteorological and other events. Through Feb. 12 at the Bass Museum of Art; bassmuseum.org.

Williamstown, MA, and New York REMBRANDT AND DEGAS

Miami Beach

Degas spent much time during his formative years copying the works of the Old Masters, both at the Louvre and in Italy. Despite his later association with Impressionism, he remained devoted to those early exemplars throughout his life. Rembrandt and Degas: Two Young Artists explores for the first time the 17th-century Dutch master’s influence on his 19th-century French admirer by uniting some 20 of their early selfportraits, both painted and graphic. Through Feb. 5 at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute; clarkart.edu.

Feb. 23 through May 20 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; metmuseum.org.

FRENCH DESIGN

•

A stone figure from the Marquesas, on view in “Gauguin & Polynesia.”

Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity examines French design from the late 1940s to today in the context of political, economic, technological and cultural forces.

Some 150 objects by such renowned talents as Philippe Starck, Pierre Paulin, the Bouroullec Brothers and TGV-designer Roger Tallon are staged on blue-, white- and red-painted wooden units inspired by Le Corbusier’s “Modulor” measuring system, derived from the proportions of the human body. Through March 26 at The Wolfsonian— Florida International University; thewolf.fiu.edu.

New York ATGET

Comprising about 100 pictures, Eugène Atget: “Documents pour artistes” takes its title from the sign that hung

Les Ballets de Monte Carlo perform “Opus 40,” featuring music by •Meredith Monk, at two U.S. venues this winter. outside the photographer’s studio. Spanning the master’s career behind the camera, which he didn’t take up until his early forties, the show examines six highly specific and wide-ranging subjects of his work, among them scenes from Paris’s 5th arrondissement; the decaying grandeur of the pre-renovation Parc de Sceaux, once owned by Louis XIV’s finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert; and the human figure. Feb. 6 through April 9 at the Museum of Modern Art; moma.org.

Richmond MEDIEVAL TOMB SCULPTURES

Twenty-five years in the making, the tomb of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Margaret of Bavaria, is one of the prize pieces of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. Surrounding the base of this lavish work of funerary art are 40 16-inch-high mourners sculpted in alabaster, each one a unique and poignant expression of grief. These statuettes have advanced from supporting to starring role as the subject of The Mourners: Tomb Sculptures from the Court of Burgundy, now concluding a two-year tour of the United States. Jan. 20 through April 15 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; vmfa.state.va.us.

Seattle GAUGUIN AND POLYNESIA

Gauguin and Polynesia: An Elusive Paradise delves into the artist’s engagement with the arts and culture of the South Sea Islands—first Tahiti and later the Marquesas, his final resting place. Some 60 examples of Polynesian art join an equal number of paintings, sculptures and works on paper by Gauguin, offering insight into the master’s creative development as well as a more general perspective on the exchanges between Pacific Island and European cultures in the 19th century.

Feb. 9 through April 29 at the Seattle Art Museum; seattleartmuseum.org.

Washington, DC SNAPSHOT

Snapshot: Painters and Photography explores the impact of the Kodak handheld camera on the work of Bonnard, Vuillard and other Post-Impressionist artists who embraced the new invention, first sold in 1888. Aiming their lenses at city streets, landscapes, family members and sometimes each other, these artists snapped a total of 10,000 pictures, about 200 of which appear in the show. Some 70 paintings and prints reveal how the artists incorporated the new medium into their craft, be it by reinterpreting the snapshot in paint or by using photographs to explore foreshortening, cropping and other effects.

Feb. 4 through May 6 at The Phillips Collection; phillipscollection.org.

New York RENOIR

Through nine large-scale vertical canvases dating from the mid-1870s to the mid-1880s, Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting examines the artist’s use of a format favored by the Salon and largely eschewed by his fellow Impressionists. Nearly life-size, the works showcase the artist’s virtuosity at rendering not only figures but also the sumptuous fashions of Belle Epoque Paris. Feb. 7 through May 13 at The Frick Collection; frick.org.

Portland, ME DEGAS

Built around a collection of privately owned works on paper never before publicly displayed together, Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist presents intimate images of the artist’s family and friends together with such signature behind-the-scenes subjects as ballet F R A N C E • W I N T E R 2 0 11 -1 2

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New York FESTIVAL OF NEW

screenings at FIAF’s Tinker Auditorium; fiaf.org.

FRENCH WRITING

dancers offstage and women in their boudoirs. Also included is a selection of pieces by Cézanne, Cassatt and other contemporaries. Feb. 23 through May 27 at the Portland Museum of Art; portlandmuseum.org.

wall objects at the Dan Flavin Art Institute in Bridgehampton; diaart.org.

PERFORMING ARTS

New York Washington, DC, and New York

REEL FASHION

New York

LE ROI ET LE FERMIER

THE STEINS COLLECT

The period music ensemble Opéra Lafayette performs the modern world premiere of Monsigny’s Le Roi et le fermier, first presented in Paris in 1762 and later staged by Marie Antoinette and her troupe at Versailles. The comic opera recounts a king’s efforts to right wrongs after a nobleman abducts a country girl. With Thomas Michael Allen as the king, Dominique Labelle as the abductee and William Sharp as her distraught fiancé, the fermier of the title. Jan. 21 at the Kennedy Center and Jan. 26 at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, with a preview performance Jan. 20 at DC’s Atlas Performing Arts Center; operalafayette.org.

Presented between New York and Paris fashion weeks, Reel Fashion at FIAF and The Museum at FIT is a series of four behind-the-scenes documentaries about la mode: Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton, The Day Before: Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld, The Day Before: Proenza Schouler and Et Elle Crea La Femme (And ELLE Created Woman). Loïc Prigent, director of the first three, will introduce the films and host post-screening Q&As. Feb. 21 through 24 at the French Institute Alliance Française, fiaf.org, and The Museum at FIT, fitnyc.edu.

By buying groundbreaking works of art, befriending their creators and welcoming people into their homes to see and discuss them, Gertrude Stein and others in her family advanced modernism both in their adopted home of Paris and abroad. Drawn from private and public holdings around the globe, The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde unites some 200 masterworks once owned by these influential art patrons, as well as family photographs, correspondence and other archival materials. Feb. 28 through June 3 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; metmuseum.org.

Costa Mesa, CA, and New York Beacon, New York

LES BALLETS DE MONTE CARLO

JEAN-LUC MOULÈNE

Les Ballets de Monte Carlo are known for combining rigorous classical technique with dazzling contemporary choreography and aesthetics. The company makes two U.S. appearances this winter, performing works choreographed by its French-born director, Jean-Christophe Maillot. First up is his whimsical take on Prokofiev’s Cendrillon (Cinderella) in its West Coast debut, followed by Altro Canto, featuring the music of Monteverdi and costumes by Karl Lagerfeld, and Opus 40, with music

by Meredith Monk and sets and costumes

by American painter George Condo. Feb. 9 through 12 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts; scfta.org. Feb. 15 through 19 at The Joyce Theater; joyce.org.

Opus + One is the first North American solo exhibition devoted to the eclectic work of Paris-based artist Jean-Luc Moulène. Spanning two decades, the show includes 35 objects in bronze, cardboard, fiberglass and other materials from the ongoing Opus series, which challenges traditional notions of abstraction and figuration. Also on view are the 299 black-and-white and color photographs comprising La Vigie, a photo essay focusing on the exotic Paulownia trees that spring from cracks in the Parisian cityscape. Through Dec. 31, 2012, at Dia: Beacon, Riggio Galleries, with a concurrent exhibition of newly commissioned

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New York CINÉMA TUESDAYS

The French Institute Alliance Française kicks off its 2012 Cinéma Tuesdays series in January with Jacques Perrin: Renaissance Man, a selection of highlights from the veteran actor, producer and director’s career, among them Costa-Gavras’s Oscar-winning Z (1969), Jacques Demy’s The Young Girls of Rochefort (1970) and the popular animal documentaries Microcosmos (1996) and Winged Migration (2001). In February, the focus shifts to fashion with Carte Blanche with Agnès b., an assortment of films hand-picked by the designer, whose wardrobe credits include Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1992) and David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001).

The lineup includes Roger Vadim’s …And God Created Woman (1956) and JeanLuc Godard’s Pierrot le Fou (1965). All

North American Tour QUATUOR ÉBÈNE

Embracing both contemporary works and the classical canon, the Quatuor Ebène (also known as the Ebène Quartet) relishes improvisation and often turns to jazz for its encores. The string quartet tours North America this March, playing works by such composers as Mozart, Borodin and Mendelssohn as well as selections from its 2010 album “Fiction,” which includes covers of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” and other well-known pieces from the worlds of rock, jazz and film. March 2 through 18; for a complete schedule, visit quatuorebene.com.

U.S. Tour QUATUOR PARISII

On the heels of its 30th anniversary, the Quatuor Parisii (also known as the Parisii Quartet) kicks off a five-stop U.S. tour this March. Over the years, the string ensemble has built up a large and eclectic repertoire of works both canonical and contemporary; its upcoming programs include music by Tailleferre, Franck, Ravel, Chausson and Debussy. March 16 at the Harvard Musical Association in Boston; March 18 at New York’s Lincoln Center; March 23 at the Barre Opera House, Barre, VT; and March 25 at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center, Mobile, AL; quatuorparisii.com.

Richmond FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012, the French Film Festival opens with a symposium titled “French Cinema: Art, Science and Technology at Work for Humanity.” The movie lineup includes more than 25 recent features and shorts, all presented by their directors and/or leading cast members. March 26 through April 1 at the Byrd Theatre; frenchfilmfestival.us.

U.S. Tour BALLET PRELJOCAJ

Casting about for a narrative subject to tackle after years of working on abstract pieces, choreographer Angelin Preljocaj found himself drawn to the tale of Snow White. This March, his renowned Ballet Preljocaj sets out on a U.S. tour devoted exclusively to the critically acclaimed Blanche Neige, with music by Mahler and costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier.

March 17 through April 21; for details, visit preljocaj.org.

—Tracy Kendrick For a regularly updated listing of cultural events, go to francemagazine.org.

N O O R T M A N M A S T E R PA I N T I N G S , A M S T E R D A M / P R I VAT E C O L L E C T I O N ; C O L L E C T I O N R K D , T H E H A G U E

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The Phillips Collection’s “Snapshot” pairs George Hendrik Breitner’s “Girl in a Red Kimono” (1893-1895) with the photo that inspired it.

The second annual Festival of New French Writing: French and American Authors in Conversation brings together leading literary figures from France and the U.S. in a series of seven hour-long discussions. For example, Prix Femina-winner Geneviève Brisac (Losing Eugenio) is paired with Rick Moody, author of The Ice Storm and most recently The Four Fingers of Death; writer-cum-film director Philippe Claudel, probably best known stateside for his 2008 picture I’ve Loved You So Long, with A.M. Homes, whose diverse body of work includes the story collection The Safety of Objects and the memoir The Mistress’s Daughter. Feb. 24 through 26 at New York University’s Hemmerdinger Hall; frenchwritingfestival.com.

SPONSORING FOUNDATIONS

France Magazine and the French-American Cultural Foundation are honored to receive the support of these distinguished foundations.

For more than 35 years, the Florence Gould Foundation has been actively involved in a variety of projects that further Mrs. Gould’s desire to promote FrenchAmerican amity.

Recent efforts include a grant to World Monuments Fund for the planning and documentation of the cloister restoration at the Church of St Trophime in Arles; a grant to The Frick Collection in New York for its upcoming Renoir exhibit; funding for several American Postdoctoral Fellows to study and work at Paris’s Institut Pasteur; and a partnership

The Annenberg Foundation is a longtime supporter of L’Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris, which trains students from around the world.

with the French Heritage Society to aid in repairing the Monumental Staircase of Auch, in Gascony.

On a smaller scale, a gift was made to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo for the acquisition of two Baudets de Poitou, an endangered variety of French donkey. At last report, Samuel and Balthazar had completely settled in and were enjoying their new surroundings as they help educate the public about rare breeds of farm animals.

The Annenberg Foundation is a private family foundation that supports nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally. Its mission is to advance the public well-being through improved communication; as the principal means of achieving this goal, it encourages the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge. Since 1989, it has generously funded programs in education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community life; health and human services; animal services and the environment.

The Foundation contributes to numerous programs that foster cultural exchange between the United States and France. Among its French projects, the Annenberg Foundation provides funding

Samuel and Balthazar, two rare Baudet de Poitou donkeys recently donated to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo by The Florence Gould Foundation.

to the American Friends of the Louvre for the development of educational tools at the museum and supports L’Académie Américaine de Danse de Paris, which offers American-style dance instruction to students from around the world. In the humanitarian sector, the Foundation funds a wide range of programs including clean water efforts in Africa by CARE France, Médecins du Monde’s youth healthcare projects in Peru, L’Envol pour les enfants européens and the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris. The Foundation continues to be a vital presence abroad and remains among the most generous American contributors to France. annenbergfoundation.org

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Cultural Study Abroad

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Temps Modernes

Looking Back

While thinking about a topic for my column

in France Magazine’s 100th issue, I got involved in a project that left me feeling a bit sentimental: I re-read all my old columns. Ninety-one of them, to be exact (the first appeared in issue No. 9, in the fall of 1987). In telling you about France and its citizens, I realize that I’ve talked a lot about myself—I was, after all a handy witness, ready and willing to testify. I’m infinitely grateful to the magazine for giving me this opportunity, which has sharpened my vision of both my country and my compatriots. For nearly 25 years, I’ve paid close attention as France evolved and changed, annoyed and enchanted me. Without it, I might not have taken as much notice.

Our collaboration began while I was living in Washington, DC, where I’d been posted since 1983. I was a young reporter and a new husband and father (in short, a happy man), and I was working for an equally youthful newspaper: Libération.

Both France and the U.S. were being led by extraordinary old men, François Mitterrand and Ronald Reagan—artful politicians full of charm, surprises and courage. It was an era of optimism for both our countries.

My, how times have changed.

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, you, for a brief moment, were dreaming of “the end of History.” And we, for a brief moment, were dreaming of a new Europe—De Gaulle’s vision of a Europe stretching “from the Atlantic to the Urals”—that included our brothers in the East, liberated at long last. Then came the first Iraq war and the conflict in the Balkans, proving that history hadn’t stopped after all, that we’d still be dealing with it for a long time to come. September 11 wiped out our illusions once and for all, and while it strengthened our ties, they became tinged with anxiety and disillusionment. You Americans, whom I’d long considered the world champions when it came to optimism, were suddenly no longer quite so certain of the future. From a Parisian perspective, the City on the Hill, the pursuit of happiness and the remarkable notion of an exceptional destiny suddenly seemed a bit like a car spinning its wheels.

We, meanwhile, have been questioning our crowning postwar achievement: the European Union. That extraordinary project was designed to bring our differences, histories, languages and lands under 64

F R A N C E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 -1 2

the same roof; to create an enormous entity comparable to the U.S. Europe was to be a huge melting pot; a happy, peaceful, benevolent economic power. But while your history is one of vast if short-lived territorial conquest, ours is the long, laborious, conflict-ridden, bloody rise of nation states. You developed constitutional rules defending your freedoms; we negotiated treaties to defend our interests. You chose adventure; we cultivated caution, defining the terms of our reconciliation in minute detail. Our histories are connected by the Enlightenment but separated by our heritage. Our approaches differ, as do our extremists—you with your tea party and us with our “indignés.”

It was in fact in France that Stéphane Hessel, an elderly, very highly regarded intellectuel révolté, launched this wideranging movement of non-violent uprising with his booklet Time for Outrage—a movement to which America, with its “Occupy” protestors, isn’t immune. Strangely enough, given our reputation as inveterate complainers, we haven’t seen any young people camping out on the Place de l’Etoile or the Place de la Concorde. I wonder why. Which brings me back to my columns and my longstanding attempt to pinpoint specifically French characteristics. I suspect the most likely reason we don’t have indignés in the streets is that, even 22 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we still have anti-capitalist parties that channel the fear and anger of these uncertain times into traditional political activities.

And so it is that 25 years ago, we met in these pages amid the shared euphoria of a radiant future, and 25 years later share an uneasy concern for what lies ahead. At this juncture, allow me to offer my gratitude to the readers who have stuck with me since the beginning as well as a few updates. My two children—the “tweens” of Winter 1997-1998—are independent young adults. I’m still happily married to the “love of my life” (Fall 1992), and we still enjoy debating our political differences. I still don’t have my “little red convertible that goes very fast” (Winter 1992-1993), but I haven’t given up hope. And yes, like Thoreau, I still—and hopefully always will—question authority (Winter 1998-1999). As for any new readers who may be reading this column for the first time, welcome! As f we say in France, “Il n’est jamais trop tard pour bien faire.”

SERGE BLOCH /MARLENA AGENCY

by MICHEL FAURE

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for additional information on our sponsorship program and benefits, contact: marika rosen, director of sponsorship, tel. 202/944-6093 or e-mail sponsorfrance@gmail.com.