Si j'étais un musée : Le Louvre, Paris, France

Le meilleur pour la fin ?

Le Louvre…. Oui, je sais… tous mes proches vous le diront « Ce n’est pas son musée préféré, mais c’est son lieu préféré »… Mon préféré étant (à Paris) : Orsay.

Ceux et celles (surtout celles) qui ont visité Le Louvre avec moi préciserons « Oui, surtout le vendredi soir à partir de 18 heures, l’hiver ! »….

J’avoue tout de suite ou à la fin ?

Le vendredi soir, en hiver, à la nuit tombée, il y a plein de belles choses à voir au Louvre, c’est un brin magique et j’adore l’hiver… Donc on admire des œuvres et … des (jolis) garçons…

Bon, je vous entends déjà dire d’ici : « C’est reparti ! »… Mais avouez quand même que déambuler au Louvre entre un Cana et un Bronzino (oui, bon, un de Vinci ou Monet, cela marche aussi) avec la vue sur deux jolis anglais qui vous sourient, ce n’est pas négligeable, non plus !

Précision utile, je ne repère que les britanniques, donc, inutile de venir avec moi pour d’autres nationalités, cela ne marche pas… mon radar est défectueux, dans ce cas précis, vous n’aurez aucune concurrence à redouter…

Parce que, pour une raison inconnue, et malgré mes visites répétées, je n’ai jamais trouvé le Louvre si bien « achalandé » que le vendredi soir à la nocturne (petite dédicace à Florence...).

Mais parlons de choses sérieuses !

Le Louvre, c’est, pour moi, le département du Moyen Âge, la Mésopotamie, l’Iran Antique, le Louvre Médiéval, la peinture Germanique, et tout le 2^e étage.

Evidemment, je ne loupe jamais l’occasion d’aller admirer (le plus près possible), le plus bel argument pour la gent masculine que je connaisse (« Portrait d’un jeune homme » - Bronzino) et de me pâmer d’amour pendant de longues minutes.

Outre le lieu chargé d’Histoire, les Cours et les recoins (…), le Louvre reste un endroit incroyable pour la plupart des gens. Rassembler autant de richesse dans un endroit aussi majestueux, cela me laisse toujours un sentiment intimidant et émouvant à chaque visite.

Traverser le Jardin des Tuileries (et dire bonjour à « mes » canards), plonger dans les entrailles du Louvre et déambuler pendant des heures sans jamais se lasser restent un plaisir que je m’offre à chaque escapade parisienne. 

Musée du Louvre  75001 Paris
01 40 20 50 50

Le musée est ouvert tous les jours de 9h à 18h excepté le mardi (17h30).
Le musée est ouvert en nocturne jusqu'à 21h45 les mercredi et vendredi

 

My favorite cities : Paris

As I am in Paris for a long weekend, I thought that it should be obvious to talk about Paris. Yes, France capitale. The myth itself. 

I don’t know any single person whom never mentions to me « France, wow, Pariiiiiis ! ». For everyone in the world, France means Paris. Paris means “Tour Eiffel, Luxury shops, Champs Elysées and Versailles (even though it is NOT in Paris)”. “Stars” in their eyes and emotion are the normal tourist attitude for Paris. How many times I’ve been told that I was “soooo lucky” to live in France and nearby Paris (mind you, I am 3 hours train ride to Paris ! nearby ? Hello ?) ! I do think that living in France is a true opportunity. Of course, lately, and somehow, I am not very proud of France policy but mainly, France remains to be the Human Rights country, the Siècle des Lumières, the country with such a long and interesting History, the country whom Rabelais, De Gaulle, Lumière Brothers, Curie, etc. were born or decided to live, the Cheese & Wine country, the Good manners and fashionable country, etc.

So many clichés on France ! Most of them are true. France is, indeed, a real beautiful country. The landscapes, countryside, cities and way of life are gorgeous. Wherever you live, you might have a wonderful place to visit or to look to with pride. Due to financial crisis and the last 20 years, I doubt that everyone does enjoy living scarcely hoping for better days without any possibility to cheer up for. Nevertheless, France is a very nice country, democratic (so far !) where you can think and speak (so far), travel, love, live, retire and even entertain,  with a huge autonomy of freedom.

Anyhow, Paris is still the center of France and if you ever visit it, you would understand what I mean. Just walking by, you have so many monuments, places, and shops that you already have heard of, that the visit sounds familiar to you.

As far as I’m concerned, Paris means museums and Parks (mainly Jardin des Tuileries, Square Cluny & Jardin du Luxembourg). As I’ve already written on a former paper, I am a true freak about museums and Paris owns three of my absolute favorites : Musée du Louvre, Musée d’Orsay and Musée Cluny (Middles Ages). As long as I can remember, I’ve always been keen on those museums.

Paris is just the right place when you like arts, paintings and entertaining. There are so many musical places, concerts, plays, etc. daily that you just don’t know which to attend to ! Thus, Paris is animated  later than everywhere else in France. You can go to a gig and eat around 11:30 pm (and yes, find an opened restaurant !), and go back to your house/hotel Room/friend’s without being alone. Taking buses around midnight in Paris doesn’t mind a thing. I often went to gig and came back to my friend’s home or hotel after midnight without being afraid of. Sure, I am not going to suburbia’s areas.

Akin to London, I am used to live or reside in some restricted places. In Paris, my area is quite a minus triangle from Boulevard des Capucines (close to Place Vendôme and Jardin des Tuileries) to Jardin du Luxembourg via l’île de la Cité. I am more a left bank person than a right bank… I love the Cluny area, close to St Germain des Près, rather than Vendome or Champs Elysées (which I seldom go by the way).

Yet, I have my favorite hotels and I am just going to the one which is the closest to my activities. My first choice would be on right bank, on Rue des Capucines, Hotel Mansart ; It’s close to the Olympia Music Hall and not that far from Casino de Paris, Opéra Garnier, Theatre Mogador, etc. It’s nearby the Printemps Haussmann and Galeries Lafayettes.

The second choice (right bank, gosh ! ) shall be Hotel Brighton on Rue de Rivoli, opposite to Jardin des Tuileries, and 2 minutes walking away from the entrance of Musée du Louvre. You can walk through the Jardin des Tuileries to reach Musée d’Orsay too.

The third choice shall be Hotel Residence Henri IV (rue des Bernardins), close to Cluny. It is nice, clean and well situated.

They are not cheap hotels indeed, but I don’t like to stay away from the places I like and to go to. I am not going to a hotel if it’s not accessible by buses too.

Here we are back ! Buses ! Paris is the city to take the bus. I know that most of the inhabitants take the subway because it is faster and easier, but when you are a tourist (whom I am, indeed), you can just adapt your schedule and take the bus. The first I could recommend you is bus 24. You can take it from Gare de Lyon and go to Place de la Madeleine (nearby Concorde, Chanel and the spot of Ladurée Macarons shop !). The bus drives along la Seine and you can admire all the main monuments : Jardin des Plantes, Arabic World Museum, Notre Dame de Paris, left & right banks, Assemblée Nationale etc. You have a 1,70 euros visit ticket instead of paying for tourist bus tour ! I know perfectly the roads of bus 24, 91, 21, 89, 65.

Anyway, you also can go to see the Tour Eiffel, the Champs Elysées, the Concorde, some cemeteries (amazing), the Sacré Coeur, Pigalle, le Moulin Rouge, Montmartre, St Germain des Près, etc., all those typical tourists places, but you would definitely need more visits to enjoy and discover  the real Paris, away from the touristic crowd… say someone whom go to Le Louvre & Orsay during popular exhibitions !

A next paper idea : more gorgeous cities to visit in France… Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Brest, and regional area such as Aveyron, Dordogne, Bretagne and Somme ? Let me know if you are interested about this idea !

Painting, museums, lovely boys and statues

I am not a painter. I can’t paint. I like doing painting but I am a total idiot when it comes to paint with a part of technical. I did take classes a few years ago, but the teacher was used to stop me and let me sketch due to my lack of motivation. I was imaginative but the technical was a terrible hindrance for me. Then, I just wanted the painting to be close to the greatest artists I worshipped, so it was disenchant any time I was starting a painting.

Nevertheless, I love paintings and watching at them in museum. I could spend my whole time in museums indeed. What I do like in UK is the free access to national museums (excluding temporary exhibitions). For instance, you can go to The British Museum, The Tate (modern or not !) and The National Gallery (one of my favorites in London) anytime and have a look to their astonishing collection without paying a penny. Walking through rooms in The National Gallery is quite comparable to go through Musée d’Orsay and Musée du Louvre, in Paris, you can’t believe to be close to such beauties.

Room 34 at The National Gallery is my favorite spot. It’s mainly Turner’s & Constable’s room (Gainsborough & Stubb too). I could stay sitting in the sofa for hours. I don’t understand how people can walk by and just having a glance at those paintings. Last time I went to the The National Gallery, I was with my best friend, Carol, whom really doesn’t like museums as much as I do. She was surprised by the free access and all those tremendous paintings (she especially appreciated the Stubb’s "Whistlejacket"). We sat in front of Constable’s “The Cornfield” and chatted for a while. It was just a delicious moment.

Room 35, you can also admire Thomas Gainsborough paintings and one of my choices is “Mr and Mrs Andrews”. Gainsborough is a terrific painter. Any of his portrays is so subtle and animate. You could even talk to the characters !

Room 40, I am fond of this Sisley “The Watering Place at Marly-le-Roi”. It is just the most surprising and delicate painting I’ve ever seen. It touches my heart each time I walk by.

 Room 8, I am used to worship this portray from Bronzino “Portrait of a Young Man”. This man always attracted me along with the other portray painting by Bronzino which is settled in Musée du Louvre (room 8 – Denon Aisle – 1^st floor).

Among all the painters I’ve been admiring for years, Turner, Constable, Sisley and Bronzino have not equivalents to me. But I also admire Corot, Raphael and Fantin Latour. In the modern painting, my admiration goes to Soulages and Jasper Johns. As for Soulages, I don’t remember accurately when I discovered his painting but I was astonished by such deep and illuminate black. It shines ! The first souvenir I have from one of his exhibition was in Marseilles, in the Musée Cantini. I was about 16 or 17 years old and stayed about 3 hours sitting in front of his work.

About museums, the choice is rather easier. Apart from The National Gallery, I love British museums such a Victoria & Albert (the fashion dept worth to be visited !), Science and Natural Museums (What a dinosaurs at the Cromwell Entrance !), British Museum (Assyria : Nineveh - Room 9)& Tate Museum (and Modern Tate ; including the London & Liverpool ones). In France, my taste leads me to Musée du Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée Eugène Delacroix and Musée Cluny.

I won’t tell you why I love going to Musée du Louvre on Fridays evening but one of the reasons is that looking around painting and sculpture at night is magic, especially when it’s cold and dark outside, you feel like the only one in the Museum. Of course, you won’t be alone in that museum but, feeling it is rather delightful !

Some departments at Le Louvre are definitely my “objects of desire” : Middle Ages, French & British painting areas, Dutch Painters, & Near Eastern Antiquities (Mesopotamia & Iran).

Musée Cluny is utterly spectacular and sitting in the garden backyard is a real luxury in Paris.

Musée d’Orsay is incredible and the newly Impressionists Department at the top floor can be equaled. Watching to Monet, Fantin Latour, Sisley, Van Gogh, Degas, Manet, etc. is just as magic as it sounds.

Art, and Culture in general, might be quite expensive for most people. I do understand that sometimes you cannot attend to an exhibition in Paris while you live in Marseilles, Perpignan or Toulouse. The train ticket costs, the museum ticket costs and you may need to get a hotel room too. But Internet offers an easy and almost free solution to get Art enter in your life.

Check out the links within the text and enjoy visiting those places. I gave you some clues about my favorites. Which would be yours ?

Last exhibition attended : “Hommage à Delacroix” – Musée Eugène Delacroix, Paris,

Next exhibitions I attend to  :

-          “Degas et le nu”, Musée d’Orsay

-          « Queen Elizabeth II by Cecile Beaton », V&A Museum,

-          New Frontier : l'art américain entre au Louvre. Thomas Cole et la naissance de la peinture de paysage en Amérique, Musée du Louvre.



Alexander The Great.... Still the greater of all...

Le Louvre shows an exhibition called “Alexander The Great Kingdom – Antic Macedonia” until January 16^th 2012. In a semi-darkness, Le Louvre puts in the light an amazing and gorgeous collection of gold, jewelries, objects from Alexander The Great reign. From Macedonia to Asia, the collection is very incredibly tremendous. The archeologists discovered for instance, around western Thessalonica,  Herakles’ grave (one of Alexander’s sons whom have been murdered after his father to eradicate the family) and it shows some objects. Some of the 500 objects presented are totally new , as they never travelled before away from Greek museums.

Alexander was great in his discovers, battles, empire and stories, but he is probably the Greatest of all kings ever.

Photos from "la Grande Galerie" Le Louvre Magazine - no photos allowed within the exhib.

Paris, vitrines de Noël - Part I

Après quelques jours à Paris, toujours aussi agréable, me revoici de retour à la vie "normale"... Quelques escapades à Orsay pour voir la nouvelle galerie des Impressionnistes (Ah, soupirer de bonheur devant Sisley, Corot, Fantin-Lacour, Diaz de la Pena.. mes préférés.... ), l'expo sur la "beauté, morale et volupté dans l'Angleterre d'Oscar Wilde" (divinement anglais ... Whistler ...) l'expo au Louvre sur Alexandre le Grand et la Macédoine (magique ! Ah, la statue du visage d'Alexandre... Quel homme !).... quelques sorties tout à fait détonnantes, des rencontres avec des gens intéressants et passionnants, avec des copines et amis, et direction les vitrines des Galeries Lafayettes et du Printemps, boulevard Haussmann...


Voici les photos de quelques unes des vitrines des Galeries....