France

Paris8

Dear All
Alan is off lunching with artists, I have been to a gorgeous shop called Printemps
spending money. I came back  to find Alan still out, but I was highly entertained by a
fire 2 doors down in the 1st floot apartment. 5 fire trucks including a fire ambulance,
lots of smoke, the fire was quickly put out and a woman and 2 small children were
rescued and placed in the ambulance for 15 mins or so then they went back to the flat.
When it was all over the police arrived and closed off the street, better late then
never I suppose, then 2 women had a fight, the police took notes, I suppose they were
blaming each other for the fire. I was rudely hanging out our 5th floor window watching
this all take place.
The firemen had  gorgeous silver helmuts and were very handsome.
 
Otherwise more galleries have been visited, yesterday the Musee De Beaux Artes
reopenned after being refurbished, free entry, it was terrific, it is part of the
Louvre but separate. We wandered around the Montmartre cemetry yesterday arvo, lots of
famous graves, we hope to go to Pere Lachaise later in the week, that is the other
famous cemetry.
Have had one full day at the Louvre, saw only small amount we concentrated on the
Object D'arte and archaeology, no paintings yet, that took all day. The Mesopotamian
stuff is overwelhming. I really like one of the new parts, Medieval Louvre, where they
have excavated the foundations of the medieval castle with moat, you can go under the
foundations to see this. Tuesday or wednesday we will go back and see the paintings.
Also still the Musee D'Orsay to do, must see all those lovely impressionist painters +
old Alfred Sisley.
 
We have the press preview of the exhibition tonight and the proper opening tomorrow
night.
We go to London on Friday.
Please send some emails, no one has written to us. 

 Caro

The Private preview of the show was very good, around six of the artists, and some who came from England being freinds of Liz Parkinson. A couple of heavies were there too, one very nice one being John Mazel the publisher of Raw Vision magazine, who came over from London speically and has asked me to write something for the magazine. We are going to visit his house in Hertfordshire next week.

The exhibition looks excellent, very different from Orange, and because of a lot more discrete spaces, probably makes the works look better. Also the walls are not as high, (although the ceiling above it is very high indeed) so there is more intimacy.Of course things look different wherever they are, but Martine is a good hanger, if not a good communicator.

The food was excellent consisting of hundreds of little shot glasses filled with saumon fume and caviar on mousse, or pickled peppers or pesto, also some shishkebabs and croque monsieur. There were also a lot of sweet shot glasses about eight different types of creme anglaise and c reme caramel, and trifles of various sorts. I had about twenty of everything, because Martine, for some reason, probably because she did not reply to our emails, expected more of the artists t5o come, there was a huge excess of food. However enopugh artists did come viz>Gunther Deiz and partner, Liz Parkinson, partner and English artists, Stavroula and Travis, Also the woman who discoverd Javier Gomez in Long Bay prison (Sue Paul) and her p;artner, the art critic Bruce Woods, and of course Phil Hammial. It was all good fun actually, and the artists got some recognition that they deserve. Tonight is the actual Opening, we expect a lot of people for this and some more artists as well..Janine Hilder and David Morgan for instance. Phil has arranged a show for six of the artists at a very smart commercial gallery that specialises in Art Brut, so who knows what this may lead to?

Had a good time all round yesterday just wanderingaround Montmartre after photographing the entire show, with Phil, talking about the vie boheme and visiting Bateau Lavoir and Lapin Agile (which has not changed one iota).

Phil did a tv interview yesterday which was funny, his fifteen seconds of fame.

We are off to Pere Lachise now, can't get enough of dead Frenchmen and Women, yesterday we photographed Berlioz, Nijinsky, Durand Ruel, Nadia Boulanger, and Degas in Montmartre cemetary, today...who knows where the spirits will lead us?

Exhibition opening

8:46 AM, 21/9/2006 .. Posted by nicomic

Thanks for your last few Blog posts. I can imagine C hanging over the 5th floor balcony chortling as the family below is engulfed in flames, then admiring the pretty firemen with their silver helmets.
The walks through and around Paris to the various galleries sound excellent.
Please write with the most important news of the opening and how that went. It sounds like the press liked the idea as it was being organised and having your friends come over from Oz would be most welcome, no doubt, though it may distract you from romantic rambles through the cemetry with just your camera and mattock.
Congrats, A, on the article for the magazine, Raw Meat. I know the Offal Collector's Association are keen collectors of Art criticism and I am sue your particular giblet will be well received.