I first encountered Henri Matisse's grave quite by accident ten years ago while wandering around a small cemetery not far from the Musée Matisse in Cimiez, a hilltop neighborhood in Nice. This year I made a special trip to pay my respects. Matisse is buried under an olive tree with his longtime wife Amélie Matisse-Parayre, who posed for some of his best-known works including "Woman with the Hat" and died four years after he did. They lie together despite the fact that she left him late in life in part over his close relationship with the much younger Lydia Delectorskaya, Matisse's assistant, muse, favorite model and caregiver in his final years. It is said that Henri and Amélie ultimately made peace. They are at peace now in this lovely spot high on a hill above the city where Matisse spent the last 35 years of his brilliant life.
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The art of serenity
Entering the spacious grounds of Le Musée de la Fondation Maeght in St. Paul de Vence, you'd never believe you were minutes away from the French Riviera. This is a wonderful museum overseen by a private European foundation. It was inaugurated by French culture minister André Malraux in 1964 and designed expressly for the artists whose works inhabit its grounds and interior -- artists including Miró, Chagall, Giacometti and Braque. As you wander among the Miró sculptures outside or in the Giacometti courtyard or in the simple, uncluttered interiors, or as you contemplate the pool designed by Braque, you're overcome by a sense of serenity that encourages you to slow down and take time to appreciate the art. The museum also hosts exhibitions of major artists, and is currently featuring Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida. Along with the Matisse and Chagall museums in Nice, this is a must-see if you're anywhere close (or even if you're not).
Taking flight
This sculpture caught my eye as I wandered around the town of St. Paul de Vence, an old walled medieval village not far from Nice and Cannes. Though quite touristy these days, St. Paul is worth a visit for its architecture, for the small cemetery where Marc Chagall is buried, for the storied hotel/restaurant La Colombe d'Or (where famous artists paid for their meals by leaving paintings and drawings) and for the public art that's scattered all over. This sculpture, by Jean-Marie Fondacaro, is called "L'Envol," or "Takeoff." When simply juxtaposed against the sky and clouds, the figure really seems to be in flight. I love it.
A walk around the cap
They say you can walk completely around Cap Ferrat in two-and-a-half hours, but it took me six. That included countless stops to take photographs, and a somewhat leisurely lunch at the port in Saint Jean. The walk itself is stunning as you encounter palatial Riviera villas, harbors filled with luxurious yachts, secluded beaches and, most impressive of all, rugged stretches of coastline with pounding waves and windswept pine trees. I'd say the longer it takes the better.
Été dans le sud
Villefranche-sur-Mer in August is a much different experience than it was in April of last year. It's summer after all, and summer is taken very seriously in the south of France. There are literally ten times as many yachts anchored in the bay, and it's standing room only on the beaches and in the cafés and restaurants. This year the weather has been particularly warm and people have flocked to the Riviera in record numbers. Some might see that as cause for complaining, but I'm just happy to be here.
Maid of Orléans
You might do a double-take when you see this gilded statue of Joan of Arc on horseback in the Place de France on Decatur street in New Orleans, and with good reason -- it's identical to the Emmanuel Frémiet statue that dominates Paris's Place des Pyramides (Gallery IV) near the Tuileries. The replica was given to New Orleans by Charles De Gaulle on a visit in the late 1950's and De Gaulle himself helped secure the funding to erect it, first at the foot of Canal Street and ultimately, in 1999, to this spot near the French Market. An inscription on the base says simply, "A Gift from the People of France to the Citizens of New Orleans." It's every bit as impressive here as it is in Paris.
French twist
French permeates almost every aspect of life in New Orleans, even the city's love for its Super Bowl winning football team. This banner, hanging from a balcony in the French Quarter, says it with a typically quirky Louisiana twist.
Where did our love go?
In Paris last fall I noticed dozens of small padlocks attached to the wire fencing on the sides of the Pont des Arts (Gallery I). The dozens apparently became hundreds and then grew to thousands -- too many for Paris's Town Hall, which ultimately declared them an eyesore. These "love locks," some with small hearts or initials etched on them, had been hung on the popular pedestrian bridge by romantically inclined couples, who would either throw the keys into the Seine as a declaration of undying love or save the keys so the locks could be opened on future visits to Paris. The authorities announced that the locks would be removed when a suitable alternative location could found for showcasing them; recently, however, most of the locks mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night. A story in London's Daily Telegraph speculated that they were either removed surreptitiously by city officials, or by scrap metal thieves who thought they were doing the city a favor. Whatever the reason, let's hope that the disappearance of the locks hasn't dampened the ardor that inspired this creative display in the first place.
The "in-between" France
"Raymond Depardon's France" is one of the most acclaimed exhibitions in Paris right now. In huge color photographs, Depardon captures the often humdrum and unromantic details of real life in small French towns. He spent several years traveling the back roads all over the country with a large-format film camera to tell the story of what he calls "in-between France," the rural and once-rural parts overlooked by foreign tourists (and even by most of the French). It's a side of France many of us may have seen but not really noticed, because we were in our cars on our way to someplace else. "Paris in Black and White" it's not, nor is it the France of picture-postcards, but it's brilliant -- powerfully presented and drawing huge crowds to the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in the 13th arrondisement, where it runs until January 9, 2011.
Name game
As you wander Paris's many shopping districts, from Cherche Midi or rue de Grenelle on the left bank to rue St. Honoré or the streets of the Marais on the right bank, you can't help but be struck by the clever wordplay -- some in French, much of it in English -- of the store names. A short list of examples: "Voyeurs" (eyewear), "Lundi Bleu" (fashion), "La Cerise sur le Chapeau" (stylish hats), "Stock Option" (a discount store), "Traffic Jam" (trendy fashion) and "En Attendant les Barbares" (fashion and accessories). My favorite of the moment, though, is "Mona Lisait", a bookstore (what else?) in the Marais. The next time you go shopping in Paris, just fix your eyes (and your camera) on the names over the doors.
Manifestations
The headlines and video footage spoke of massive labor unrest, strikes, refinery shutdowns and demonstrations ("manifestations") throughout France during much of October, but life in central Paris was utterly normal. Public transportation in the city was unaffected (I even managed to fly to Nice and back one day without any trouble), and I only encountered one manic (left) in the ten days I was there. Most of the activity seemed to be taking place elsewhere in France. The ostensible issue was the planned increase in the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, but according to locals I spoke with most people recognized the need for some change and the public protests were really more an expression of an intense dislike of President Sarkozy. At any rate, Parisians in particular seem to have a way of taking these things in stride. If you hadn't been reading the papers or watching TV, you might never have known anything was going on.
An added attraction
For art enthusiasts, Paris in October was a bonanza. Not only were there diverse and fascinating exhibits going on in the museums (Monet at the Grand Palais, André Kertész at the Jeu de Paume, Raymond Depardon at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, just to name a few), but the city was also hosting its annual four-day international contemporary art fair, know as FIAC. Art dealers and art lovers converged along the Seine as the fair stretched from the Louvre to the Grand Palais. In addition to the art on display at hundreds of dealers' booths, several dozen galleries and artists contributed quirky works (one of my favorites, above) for display outdoors in the Tuileries, connecting the two major venues. The week also saw the glitzy opening of a new gallery near the Champs-Elysées by influential New York dealer Larry Gagosian. Of course there's no bad time to see art in Paris, but the art fair this year made October just a little more special.
Tennis rain or shine
Spring in Paris means, among other things, Roland Garros (that's what the French call the Grand Slam tennis tournament we know as the French Open), and Roland Garros in 2010 meant you could be wearing a hat and sunglasses one minute and opening your umbrella the next. On this day the rain briefly interrupted matches involving Venus Williams and Roger Federer, but the fans took it in stride. Spending a day watching the world's best players on the clay in the Bois de Boulogne can enrich your vocabulary: a 40-40 score is not deuce but "égalité," break point is "balle de break," a tiebreak is "jeu décisif" and men's singles is "simple messieurs." And the clay, which the French call "terre battue," isn't actually clay, it's crushed red brick. Tickets to this extremely popular tournament are hard to come by (they go on sale online in February, and sell out in a few hours), but it's well worth the effort.
All the brave soldiers
Sitting on a bluff overlooking the English Channel near the little French town of Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy, the American Cemetery is a fitting resting place for more than 9,000 U.S. servicemen killed in the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 and ensuing operations. The facility includes a visitors center (no admission fee) and an impressive memorial, but don't expect to find a souvenir shop; you won't need help remembering the emotional experience of visiting here. The cemetery is a beautiful, immaculately maintained 172-acre space which has been deeded in perpetuity to the U.S. by the French. Each white cross or Star of David holds the name and date of death of the soldier buried underneath, except for about 300 identified simply as comrades in arms "known but to God." The names of about 1,500 others who died but could not be located or identified are etched on a nearby wall that curves in a semi-circle around a lovely garden. And, of course, the cemetery overlooks a long, wide strip of coastline which will be forever known as Omaha Beach, a site protégé so serene today it's impossible to imagine it as a scene of carnage and inhumanity -- and heroism.
A pilgrimage worth making
The second-most-visited site in France (after the Eiffel Tower) almost defies description. Mont Saint Michel is a 1,000-year-old engineering marvel, a monastery/abbey that draws tourists today the way it has drawn religious pilgrims for centuries. Now classified as a UNESCO world heritage site, it sits on an island connected to the land by a causeway in a remote part of Northern France surrounded by some of the most extreme tides in the world. To understand its appeal, all you have to do is go -- it's stunning. Just arrive early (or late) in the day and you'll be free to wander around and up and down and appreciate its architectural detail and fascinating history (for a time during the French revolution, it was even used as a prison). If you approach by car, you'll first notice it from about 10 kilometers away, rising surrealistically out of the mist.
A life's work
Seen from the road outside the town of Vence in the south of France, the small, unprepossessing building probably wouldn't compel a second look. But step inside the Chapel of the Rosary, better known as the Matisse Chapel, and you're in one of the most luminous, beautiful spaces on the planet. Its power comes from its simplicity -- white walls and simple, powerful drawings, including one wall showing the 14 stations of the cross, with the only color coming from natural light streaming through striking blue, green and bright yellow stained glass windows. Matisse himself said, "For me, this chapel is the achievement of an entire life's work, the outcome of tremendous, difficult, sincere effort. This is not work I chose, but rather work for which I was chosen by fate when at the end of my road..." He created it late in his life, beginning in 1947 when he was 77 and culminating in the blessing of the chapel in 1951. If you admire Matisse, if you admire art, you owe it to yourself to visit this remarkable place.
Printemps dans le sud
It's still a bit nippy in Paris, but it's April and that means spring has come to the Côte d'Azur. People are welcoming daylight savings time, the big Easter weekend ("les fêtes Pascales") and warmer weather all the way from Cannes to Monaco. Crowds are strolling Nice's broad Promenade des Anglais and enjoying the waterfront cafés in the appealing town of Villefranche-sur-Mer (left). Villefranche, besides being a popular Riviera destination with a fascinating history, is also home to l'Institut de Français, a total-immersion language school whose current enrollment includes this francophile and people of varying ages and occupations from virtually every corner of the globe. The learning experience high up in the hills of Villefranche comes with a spectacular view of the deep-water bay and Cap Ferrat beyond. And if spring has sprung here in the south, it can't be far behind in the rest of France.
Fermé
One of the great little museums in Paris has closed, and there's uncertainty about when and if it will reopen. The popular Musée du Luxembourg on rue de Vaugirard closed January 17 because of a dispute between the French Senate, which controls the museum, and the private company which has been hosting the exhibitions for the past 10 years. Shows that were slated for the remainder of 2010, including one on Impressionism, have been cancelled. The closure is a huge disappointment to people who enjoy the high-quality, intimate exhibitions this venerable Luxembourg Gardens museum is known for. In just the last few years, for example, more than 5 million visitors have enjoyed seeing the works of Modigliani, Botticelli, Vlaminck, the Berardo collection ("From Miro to Warhol") and many, many more. There's talk that the museum might reopen next year. Let's hope.
Paris Christmas
The world economy might have taken a nosedive, but you'd never know it when it gets dark on a late December afternoon in Paris. The lights come on, the streets are jammed, the cafes fill up and the cash registers ring merrily in the stores. There's a skating rink in front of Hotel de Ville and a ferris wheel ("La Grand Roue," Gallery II) at the end of the brightly lit Champs-Élysées (left and Gallery II). In the neighborhoods, lighting displays are few and tasteful (mostly blue and white) and there's not a lot of overt commercialism, reflecting the Parisans' typically low-key approach to Christmas. But everywhere you go there's great, cheerful energy and lots of "bonjours" and "bonsoirs." It's not perfect -- some very un-Parisian prefab seasonal retail booths have sprung up in a couple of areas where they shouldn't be -- but Paris still has to rank among the best places to be for holidays.
Rodin's gardens
If you only had one afternoon to spend in Paris, the Rodin Museum on Rue de Varenne (Gallery IV) might be the place to spend it. It's in an old mansion where Rodin actually once lived and worked (in rented rooms) and offers a fascinating journey through his artistic life. A huge bonus: the museum is surrounded by three acres of beautiful gardens filled with some of Rodin's biggest, most expressive sculptures, including The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, Balzac, The Gates of Hell and The Shades. It's a serene, expansive place -- you could easily spend a couple of hours wandering around, relaxing on the benches and even having a bite in the small cafe. Best of all, you can do this for the grand sum of one Euro -- it might be the best bargain in Paris. (One Euro gets you into the gardens only -- the Museum and gardens combined cost six Euros, still a deal by Paris standards.)