Episode 173 - Exhibitions in Paris this Autumn

This week as we enjoy the last official days of summer we are tiptoeing to the start of autumn but that also means new fantastic exhibitions in Paris. 

Of course, we start with my beloved Musée du Louvre and the Renaissance collection of Naple á Paris. In collaboration with the Musee de Capodimonte in Naples, it is currently undergoing major renovation. The Louvre is trying something a little different with this exhibit by placing the borrowed pieces within the Grande Galerie alongside the Louvre’s own collection. By mixing the two together a conversation takes place between the Louvre and Capodimonte collections that is fascinating to decipher. 

The exhibition extends to the Pavillon d’Horloage on the 1st and 2nd levels with the 2nd being the one you do not want to miss. In a dimly lit room, the drawings of Michelangelo and Raphael come to life. Standing up close to a drawing by Michelangelo is humbling, to say the least. The showing of the fragile sketches is limited and will close on September 25 while the rest of the exhibition in the Grande Galerie runs until January 8. 

Coming up on October 18 is the exhibit I have been anxiously looking forward to since it was announced in 2021. In what was the Petite Galerie of the Richelieu wing the Treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral from its Origins to Viollet-le-Duc featuring more than 120 pieces once held in the Treasury of Notre Dame. 

On April 16, 2019, the morning after the fire officials of the Louvre assisted in emptying the Treasury which held the reliquaries that once held the Crown of Thorns and pieces of the True Cross as well as the tunic of Saint Louis. It was always a place I loved to pop in and see the golden treasures and thrilled that we were able to see them once again prior to the historic cathedral reopening on December 8, 2024. 

The exhibition space is small and just past the ticket entrance of the Richelieu wing. The exhibition runs until January 29, 2024. 

Coming to Paris and want a guided tour through the Louvre reach out. Recently my wonderful client Dianne remarked, “This was the best money I have ever spent on travel”. Allow me to share my favorite place in the world in a way few other guides can. 

Contact me today to book your tour 

Musée du Louvre

Wednesday to Sunday 9 am - 6 pm. Fridays until 9:45 pm 

The biggest exhibition this season in Paris will undoubtedly be Van Gogh à Auvers-sur-Oise, the Last Months. Opening October 3 at the Musée d’Orsay it will be sure to have very long lines and you must think ahead and plan accordingly. You will want to book your Orsay in advance as well as a timed entry to the exhibition as well. Without a timed ticket for van Gogh itself, you might wait a while to get in. If you are a member, you won’t need a reservation, just glide on in. 

Much of the permanent collection of van Gogh that the Orsay owns is from the last months of his life. Dr Gachet who took care of Vincent at that time was given many pieces by the artist himself that were given to the Louvre in 1946 as a donation from his children after his death. In the last few months of his life, Vincent painted 74 pieces and created 33 drawings. Criticized by Gauguin for painting too fast those last months he worked feverishly utilizing all the amazing colors of his pallet, for which we are very thankful. 

The exhibit opens at 9:30 a.m. on October 3 and runs until February 4. Join the Orsay and become a Carte Blanche member and enter at 9 am before the general public for an up close and personal look at the collection or book a tour with me. 

To learn more about the history of the one-time train station and how it became a museum listen to the episode of Paris History Avec a Hemingway we recorded in 2021. 

Also in the Orsay, this autumn and winter are two small exhibits one after another. 

Gustave Eiffel - Bridge Builder opens October 31 until February 4, 2024. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the architects’ passing the small Espace Paris at the end of the central nave holds a photo exhibit of the great iron bridges of the Eiffel. 

Just a week later on February 10, 2024, until May 12 the same space highlights the art nouveau and metro designer Hector Guimard. 

No need for a special reservation for either exhibit. 

The partner of the Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie always does an amazing job when it comes to exhibitions. Opening today! Amedeo Modigliani, A Painter and his Merchant focuses on the relationship between Modigliani and Paul Guillaume. Guillaume’s collection was acquired by the state in 1959 in a long juicy drawn-out drama that we will get into another time. The collection was added to the Orangerie in 1984. 

The Modigliani exhibition focuses on the relationship between the two men that met in 1914. Guillaume rented an apartment and studio for the artist in Montmartre after they met through Max Jacob. Guillaume became his exclusive dealer until his death in 1920. 

Known for his portraits the exhibit will have over 100 paintings and 50 drawings on display. I can’t wait to see it and will report back right away. 

Lines can be long when they have exhibitions so be sure to buy your ticket in advance or better yet, join the Orsay Carte Blanche which also allows free entry to the Orangerie. 

(this is not sponsored in any way by the Orsay, it’s just a fantastic deal! If you are a Louvre member you also get a discount on the Orsay membership) 

Musée d’Orsay is open Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 am to 6 pm, and 9:45 pm on Thursdays 

Musée de l’Orangerie Wednesday to Monday 9 am to 6 pm 

A bit farther out from the center of Paris is the Musée Marmottan Monet. Located just on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne this little treasure of a museum is worth the trek. Thanks to a gift from Michael Monet, the museum holds the largest collection of his father Claude Monet’s work in the world. The property was purchased by Jules Marmottan in 1829 and his son Paul inherited a large inheritance that he would use to collect a stunning assortment of furnishing of the Consulate and Empire period. Without an heir, he donated his estate to the Academy of Beaux-Arts in 1932 at his death.  The families of William Adolphe Bouguereau in 1938, and Henri Duherm in 1985 enhanced the collection of the museum as well as the Rouart family in 1993. 

Julie Manet Rouart was the only child of Berthe Morisot and Eugène Manet. Morisot was the subject of many Édouard Manet paintings including one of my favorites that is now visiting the Met in New York.  Morisot was one of the few women ushered into the group of Impressionists that gave light and feminist touch to the colorful period of art. Before Berthe, there was the 18th century Rococo period in Watteau, Boucher, Fragonard, and Perronneau dominated and inspired Berthe. As a young artist, she spent hours in the Musée du Louvre with her sister Edme copying the master as women were not allowed in an artist atelier.  

Opening October 18 Berthe Morisot & the 18th Century Art of Watteau, Boucher, Fragonard & Perronneau runs until March 3, 2024. The permanent collection also holds two rooms of Morisot you won’t want to miss. 

Paul Girard named Morisot the Modernizer of the 17th & 18th centuries. The exhibition will have amazing examples of the side-to-side pieces of Morisot’s interpretation of Boucher, Watteau, and more.  Listen to the podcast episode we did in 2020, she was a fascinating woman with such a wonderful story. 

Musée Marmottan Monet

2 rue Louis-Boilly 16e

Open Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm. Thursdays until 9 pm. 

Keeping with the small museum and the beautiful pastel colors is an exhibit in the wonderful Musée Cognac-Jay.  A museum that is often missed the collection of Ernest Cognac and Marie Louis Jay was collected between 1900 and 1927. You may not know their names but you do know their fantastic department store, Samaritaine on the edge of the Right Bank. 

The two created a collection of 18th pieces that are now beautifully displayed in the 16th-century Hotel Donon steps from the Musée Picasso Paris and the Musée Carnavalet.

Pastels, Between Line and Color opens from October 12 to February 11, 2024. I love pastel pieces and are seldom on view due to their delicate nature. The Louvre no longer displays their collection sadly and so I leap at any chance to see a few of these lovely creations. 

The exhibit includes Boucher, Maurice-Quentin de La Tour, Perronneau, and Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun. Visit the Cognac-Jay after the Berthe Morisot to continue on the dreamy theme. 

Listen to the story of Marie-Louise Jay and the Samaritain on the episode we recorded in July 2021 

Musée Cognac-Jay 

8 rue Elzévir 

Open Tuesday - Sunday 10 am - 6 pm 

The permanent collection is free, and special exhibits a few euros. 

Other exhibits you will want to add to your itinerary: 

Gertrude Stein & Picasso at the Musée du Luxembourg 

September 13 to January 28'

Musée des Arts Decoratifs 

Mode et Sport September 20 to April 7 

Iris van Herpen November 29 to April 28 

Cité de l’Architecture 

The amazing Notre Dame exhibition and display of the 16 statues from the roof will run until June 2, 2024. I’ve been telling everyone for two years not to miss this, it’s a once in a lifetime chance. 

Le Paris de Gustave Eiffel 1832-1923  jusqu’a January 8, 2024

Métro, le Grande Parisian en Mouvement  November 8 to June 1, 2024

Petit Palais 

Trésors en Noir et Blanc, Dürer, Rembrandy, Goya, Toulouse-Lautrec  until January 14, 2024

Le Paris de la Modernité November 14 to April 14, 2024

Musée Carnavalet 

The Régence in Paris 1715 - 1723. Dawn of Enlightenment October 20 - February 25, 2024 

Musée de Montmartre 

Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen (famous for his Chat Noir painting) October 13 to February 11 

Fondation Louis Vuitton 

Rothko October 18 to0 April 2, 2024 

Centre Pompidou 

Chagall at Work, Drawings, Ceramics & Sculpture October 18 to January 15, 2024

Picasso Endlessly Drawings October 4 to February 26, 2024 

Musée Rodin 

Gormley Chez Rodin October 17 to March 3, 2024 

Episode 171 - More Favorite Books - John Baxter

No one has enriched my love or knowledge of Paris more than John Baxter. The Australian who made a few stops around the world before landing in Paris has written over 40 books and he keeps on going. His books on Paris are filled with the stories of the figures that made Paris what it is today. I’m not even sure how I first came across his books, but they led me to one of his tours, and now has become a mentor and a friend. Many books on Paris are filled with half facts or at times even wrong info. John does a lot of exhausting research to make sure he has accurate info and one of the few I trust explicitly. Every single one of his books is wonderful but I will try to limit my gushing to just a handful. 

Chronicles of Old Paris is a fantastic book for those who want to learn more about the historical figures of France. From Saint-Denis to Ernest Hemingway and the Opera Garnier to Notre Dame, this book gives you a short but detailed history of some of the greatest stories of Paris.  Each chapter is complete with sites to search out in Paris tied to the subject and the back includes a few walking tours. 

The Golden Moment of Paris, a guide to the Paris of the 1920s that found the Lost Generation wandering the streets.  Paris was much more than the days described by Fitzgerald, Hem, and Gertrude Stein. Cheap living and even cheaper booze was the ideal place for Americans escaping the Prohibition years. Matisse vs. Picasso, Landru the French Bluebeard, and even the unknown woman of the Seine will become familiar to anyone who has ever taken a CPR class.

Eating Eternity Food, Art and Literature in France Food and wine go with France, well better than anything. A country that has more cheeses than days of the year, amazing wine you can get with pocket change, and let’s not even get started on the bread. One of my favorite chapters is Absinthe, the Green Fairy, the green liquor that drove Oscar Wilde mad and was captured in art over and over again. The love of food transcends far from the plate and this book is for everyone who loves a good slow meal. Read it while eating some French fromage and a glass of Vouvray Sec on a sunny day. 

A Year in Paris, Season by Season in the City of Light. Stories of Paris from each season of the year including the years when the weeks stretched to ten days. Ten-day weeks in Paris sounds great! Even holding the book is a moment to treasure. The French flaps and the deckled pages are so lovely. John’s books are fantastic any way you can get them, but even better when you can hold the pages in your hands. 

We all have our favorite corner of Paris, there is always a conversation between left bankers and the right bankers, clearly the left bank is the best. Then there is the die-hard Saint-Germain-des-Prés fans vs. the Montmartre fans. Monsieur Baxter has you all covered. Three separate books that dive deeper into the Great Parisian Neighborhoods, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montmartre, and Montparnasse. There is so much more to all of John’s books. These aren’t the Rick Steeves guidebooks that give you a short glance of a neighborhood hitting the highlights and moving you to the next box to check. These books give you an idea of the people that formed them. Drunken nights of the artists in Montparnasse. The Jazz Age of Saint Germain and the romantic, poor artists of Montmartre. Every one of my Baxter books is filled with bookmarks of treasures to track down and to find out even more. 

Hot off the press is John's newest book, Of Love and Paris. Given an early copy, I couldn't wait to dig into this gem. Paris is known for being the city of love because of the many great love stories fueled by ancient cobblestones.  Napoleon & Josephine, Colette & Willy, and Modigliani & Jeanne Hébuterne are just a few of the great stories, and 29 more. You will surely love it. 

He has written many more on Paris and can be found on my La Boutique page and I recommend each one. The Most Beautiful Walk in Paris is just what the grounded Paris lover needs right now. 

Another favorite Paris author is David Downie and two of his books I have read over and over many times. Paris, Paris, Journey Into the City of Light a favorite chapter is devoted to spending an entire day in the Jardin du Luxembourg can send any deprived Paris lover straight to one of the green Luxembourg chairs. 

A Passion for Paris, Romanticism, and Romance in the City of Light. One of my favorite periods in French history is the Romantic Movement. The days of Delacroix, Baudelaire, and the love triangle of Victor Hugo. The City of Love comes alive in this book and is one you will love. 

So many wonderful stories in all these books I have mentioned. As I pull them out to write this newsletter I want to read every single one of them again, gah Give me a few of those ten-day weeks. 

Episode 170 - Must Have Coffee Table Books of Paris

Another great way to help pass the time is to curl up on the couch with a café or glass of wine and jump into one of the many great coffee table books about Paris and the artists that were shaped by its historic cobblestones. Here are just a few of my favorites. 

1For the art lover who misses walking through the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, there are many fantastic books you need and can even help you plan a visit to one of these fantastic museums.

Painting Musée d’Orsay, released in honor of their 25th Anniversary in 2011. Filled with over 300 pages of paintings from 1840-1910 many of which moved over from the Musée du Louvre and the Musée du Luxembourg when the Orsay opened in 1986. A few of the most famous pieces also have some more detailed information that will send you straight into the painting. Beautifully laid out you can transport yourself to the 5th floor of the Orsay and straight into an intimate conversation with the Impressionists. 

For the end all be all books on the art of the Musée du Louvre, look no further than The Louvre All the Paintings by Erich Lessing and Vincent Pomarède published by the Louvre in 2011. The 750-page book of 3,022 paintings is broken out by the different schools and is easy to navigate if you are looking for something specific. The Italian, Northern, French, and Spanish Schools fill the pages. It is close to impossible to see all of the Louvre in a short period of time, so this is the perfect book for the art lover. If you are planning on going to Paris and love art but are overwhelmed by the Louvre, pick up this book and note which paintings you are dying to see in Paris. Many of the locations are noted on each painting but these things change, especially in the past ten years. If you get this book and are dying to see something specific, let me know and I can help you find it.  The book also comes with a CD-ROM with many of the paintings and info. 

For more of the French school from the Medieval era all the way to contemporary art, Charles F. Stuckey’s French Painting is a wonderful book that pulls many of the museums of Paris into one. Each chapter is complete with a description of the period and the paintings on the following pages. A great book for anyone looking for a broader description of French paintings. 

There are many artist-specific books and Daniel Wildenstein’s Monet or The Triumph of Impressionism is beautifully put together. A larger and heavy book, it is also filled with the life of Monet told chronologically and filled with photos and his paintings. It’s an incredible reference book for anything you would ever want to know about the great French painter. 

Le Grand Véfour is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris and nestled into the Palais Royal. Chef Guy Martin put together a gorgeous cookbook that is also filled with the history of the restaurant and photos of the historic interior where Napoleon proposed to Josephine and Colette was carried in on a chair. 

If photographs are more your thing, Paris, Portrait of a City by Jean Vlaude Gautrand covers Paris from 1830 to 2011. Photos of famous photographers like Willy Ronis and Robert Doisneau are mixed with candid photos of the people who have called Paris home for almost two hundred years. The cover has changed in the new version, but it is still the same fascinating book. 

If you want to get even deeper into the architecture of Paris, One Thousand Buildings of Paris by Kathy Borrus and photos by Jorg Brockmann and James Driscoll. With photos of 1000 buildings and a short description and history of each, it's a true gem for the architectural fan. 

Check out all of these books and more in my boutique at ClaudineHemingway.com 

Episode 169 - The Liberation of Paris

This week is the 79th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris and the march to the end of World War II.  In 2019 for the 75th it was celebrated with wonderful stories and remembrance, and unless it hits a big milestone year it is all but forgotten.  I’ve never thought it was right that people only focus on the big anniversaries, these events and more importantly the people behind them should be remembered every year and every day. 

If you want to really get an idea of the years of the Occupation, Resistance, and Liberation you must visit the Musée de la Libération de Paris, located in the Place Denfort-Rochereau near Frédéric Bartholdi’s Lion de Belfort and the entrance to the Catacombs. The new location opened on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation, August 25, 2019. The former museum was just past the Gare Montparnasse and somewhat hidden from visitors. 
The original opened on August 24, 1994, for the 50th anniversary and also included the Musée Jean Moulin. In 2015 they decided to move it to a more visible location and their choice was perfect.  The Pavillon Ledoux built in 1787 by architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was one of the fifty barriers surrounding Paris for the General Farmers to collect taxes on goods arriving in the city. The Neo-Classical building and its twin across the street housing the entrance to the Catacombs are two of the handful that remain. Ledoux also designed the rotunda pavilion at the beautiful Parc Monceau  Today the pavilion is named after its designer but it was known as the barrière d’Enfer, barrier of hell. 

Not only was the location chosen for the wonderful building but it also sits over the underground command base for Colonel Rol-Tanguy and near Jean Moulin’s former hideout on Rue Cassini.  When the museum was moved to its current location it morphed three museums into one. The Musée du Général Leclerc and Musée Jean Moulin became a part of the museum we see today.  Each man was an integral part of the Liberation of Paris and Rol-Tanguy can’t be forgotten either. 

Jean Moulin was born on June 20, 1899, in Béziers in the south of France. Mobilized on April 17, 1918, he served in the Engineer Regiment of WWI. Joining late into the war, he didn’t fight on the front lines but he did see the devastation left behind to the small villages of the Vosges. After the war, he obtained his law degree and then served as chief of staff for the deputy of the Savoie. Until the start of WWII, he was the sub-prefect for towns all over France moving frequently. 

In June 1940, as the Prefect of the Eure-et-Loir in Chartres he was arrested by the Germans for refusing to sign a declaration that a group of Senegalese men killed residents of La Taye. It was actually the Germans who had killed them. Standing by his principals he was beaten and tossed into jail where he tried to cut his own throat with a shard of glass.  A guard intervene and stopped the bleeding, but the act would lead to his signature style being captured in a famous photograph taken of him to cover his scar. Taken after his release the photo of the dashing young man with a scarf around his neck, wool coat, and hat was taken by close friend Marcel Bernard in Montpellier.  

Word of his brave actions reached Charles de Gaulle in London and he requested a meeting with Moulin. The two first met on October 24, 1941, when De Gaulle gave him the assignment in uniting the various groups of the Resistance. 

On May 27, 1943, the first meeting of the Conseil National de la Résistance was held at 48 rue du Four. Less than a month later on June 21 in Caluire-et-Cuire near Lyon, a meeting at the home of Dr Frederic Dogujin was held. Seven leaders of the different factions of resistance groups were in attendance including Jean Moulin as well as René Hardy.  Just as they sat down the Gestapo rushed in and arrested everyone in attendance, although Hardy was the only one not handcuffed and was quickly released. 

Hardy had been arrested on June 10 and taken to Klaus Barbie in Lyon. There isn’t any recorded information on what happened at that meeting. After the war, he was accused and taken to trial twice in 1947 & 1950 and acquitted. At the 1987 trial of Barbie, he admitted his contact with Hardy and the info that led to the arrest of Moulin. 

Upon the arrest of Moulin, he entered the Lyon prison of Montluc until the Nazis took him to Gestapo HQ and Klaus Barbie awaited his arrival and torture. On July 8, 1943, in the midst of a transfer by train to Berlin Moulin died at the Metz train station. There is some doubt about that being the location as it took 6 months to create a death certificate by the Germans.  

He was returned to Paris where his ashes were interred in Père Lachaise until 1964 when he was moved to the Pantheon. In one of the most moving ceremonies in French history, André Malroux gave an unforgettable speech to the hero. Today the two men lay at rest in the same niche of the Pantheon. 

Antoinette Sasse was a close friend of Jean Moulin and also worked with him decoding messages. In 1943 through her vast connections in the art world, she set up a gallery in Nice that would also serve as a front to distribute pamphlets. With Colette Pons,  the Galerie Romanin at 22 Rue de France in Nice held exhibitions that included the art of Picasso, Renoir, Chabaud, Maurice Utrillo, and past podcast lady Suzanne Valadon. Through those years together she amassed many of his personal papers when she emptied his apartment when he needed to flee and with Moulin’s sister Laure she had more than 3,000 pieces that would become the basis of the museum today. 

The museum begins in 1939 with the stories of what led up to the start of the war and the background on the lives of Leclerc and Moulin including personal items. Leclerc had a pension for drawing and his Lefranc pastels he owned in 1920 alongside his skis and boots give you a little glimpse into the man. 

Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque was born November 22, 1902, in Belloy-Saint-Léonard and was destined for the service. In 1922 he enrolled in the Ecole Speciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr and finished 5th in his class in 1924. By 1931 he was an instructor at the same school. During WWII he was stationed in Belgium where he was arrested and later released. With his wife and 6 children, he was able to escape to London on July 24, 1940, where he met with De Gaulle. 

De Gaulle saw an exceptional soldier and leader in Leclerc and in August he promoted him to Colonel and directed him to Cameroon where he served on behalf of the Free French forces.  The Vichy government sentenced him to death for his actions in absentia and an arrest warrant was placed on his head. 

Leclerc continued on through Morocco and returned to Paris in August 1944. It was Leclerc that signed the papers and took in General von Choltitz at the Gare Montparnasse and the next day was walking down the Champs Elysees next to Charles de Gaulle. 

Continuing on after the war he liberated troops in Strasbourg. Led the first troop to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest and onto Algeria. 

On November 28, 1947, the B-25 he was on crashed in a sandstorm, and he and the 14 passengers were never recovered. 

On December 4, 1947, a National Funeral was held in Notre Dame followed by a  procession to the Arc du Triomphe and ending at Les Invalides where the hero is buried today. 

The museum covers both these great men as well as the hundreds of other stories throughout World War II. 

Chronologically charting the march of the war from the start to the Liberation is heartbreaking. Alongside propaganda posters of the Vichy government, photos of how the Germans covered Paris in their Nazi flags, and items left behind by families all give you a very visceral and emotional reaction that is hard to contain. The small shoes that once belonged to a child that was taken with his family to Auschwitz are hard to digest.

In one case a tile that was once in the La Muette housing in Drancy where many Jewish families were taken before being sent to Auschwitz still shows the faint markings of the Sétion family. Ida Sétion and her four daughters Jacqueline, Elie, Eliane, and Monique were arrested on November 4, 1942, deported on November 9, and killed on November 14. Before they left she inscribed on the tile “Famille Sétion du 8/11/42 au 9/11/42….Destination…..” The fear they had to be going through is heartbreaking and doing all she could to keep her four daughters safe and calm must have been horrific. 

The museum brings to light many names you may never have heard about and their stories of bravery few can even imagine today. As you near the end of the museum you start to hear recordings of joyous celebrations, all ending with the Liberation of Paris. Images set to music and the cheers of happy Parisians filling the Champs Elysees and Hotel de Ville in celebration are bound to make you smile. 

One of my favorite things in the museum is a dress made for the Liberation of Paris by Marguerite Sabut and her mother. At the start of August, they began to make the dress hoping she would soon have a reason to wear it.  The dress includes paper cutouts of the Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triomphe, Bastille Column, and other landmarks in Paris. She also had a small purse made with the Cross of Lorraine as a clasp and roosters on it. Seventy-nine years ago on August 26, 1944, she finally had her chance to wear the dress during the parade on the Champs-Elysées as she watched General De Gaulle walk by. A few lucky soldiers signed her bag as the perfect reminder of the day. 

I hope I have convinced you to pay a visit to this lovely museum. Special exhibits are also planned throughout the year and with only a fraction of what they have on display it pays to go a few times to see it. The museum itself is free to the public, but a reservation and a small ticket fee are required to visit Colonel Rol-Tanguy’s former headquarters where he along with his wife Cecile worked to save Paris and France. 

Musée de la Libération 

4 Avenue du Colonel Henri-Roy-Tanguy 14e 

Tuesday-Sunday 10 - 18 

Episode 168 - The Opening of the Louvre

On August 10, 1793, the Musée Central des Arts de la Republique was opened. You may know it as the Musée du Louvre. 
Art was not a stranger to the Palais du Louvre and going back to the 16th century Francois I first held a few of his prized pieces. Under Louis XIV they added the Salle des Rois, today’s Galerie d’Apolon and in 1725 moved the yearly Salon to the Salon Carré along with the Academy of Paintings. 

On May 26, 1791, a year and a half into the French Revolution the National Assembly of France declared a museum would be created “bringing together monuments of all science and arts”. For the next year, things would move slowly although art from the churches and emigrant families that left France were amassed. 

On August 9 the new government of Paris, the Paris Commune moved into the offices of the Hotel de Ville. During the night they met to come up with a plan to “save the state”. Meeting until 3 a.m. one side wanted to attack the king and the other fought against it. Louis XVI wasn’t playing along with the changes in the government and it was all about to end. 

At 8 am on August 10, 1792 thousands of men, women, and even children armed with weapons charged the Tuileries. Louis XVI had the 950 Swiss Guards moved inside the palace to guard the family and left 930 gendarmes and 2000 national guards outside to keep the angry mob at bay. One little issue, they had very little ammunition. The royal family was able to escape and ran through the garden to the Assembly for safety.

Louis XVI was treated to wine and food, while Marie was tossed in a locked room with her children. It was the end of the monarchy as the Legislative Academy ended all rights of the king. On the same day, they voted on the destruction of all items and properties tied to the monarchy. The next day on August 11 a commission was created to halt the process and to search and care for these items of the national heritage. 

It would go back and forth a few more times. On the 14th the cries for destruction outweighed all the others and then on the 22nd, it was declared again that the heritage must be saved. On October 1, 1792, a commission was made up of artists to create the layout of the National Museum that would be based on the collection of the kings. 

The original museum was much smaller and different from the stunning temple of art seen today. The Grande Galerie, Galerie du bord de l'eau was created under Henri IV to link the Palais du Louvre to Catherine de Medici’s Palais des Tuileries. Begun in 1595, the 1500-foot-long corridor was used by the young Louis XIII for fox hunts, maybe they should bring back a fox or two in the high season.

When opened the museum held 538 paintings and 184 objects, 39 busts, and 29 tables of hard stone pieces that were mostly from the former rulers of France that began with Francois I. 

Francois I was raised with an appreciation of art and culture by his mother Louis de Savoie who was obsessed with the Italian Renaissance. It was Francois who decided to remake the Monarchy and bring it out of Medieval times and began to collect paintings from the Italian masters and one of the masters himself. After meeting Leonardo da Vinci, he invited him to move to France where he would put him up in a chateau and take care of everything. Leonardo eventually gave in and made his way to France via a donkey and in tow were a few paintings. 

In the short period of time before his death, Leonardo sold or gave a few of his paintings to Francois I including the Mona Lisa. The Louvre holds six paintings in its collection, more than any museum or country in the world. Italy is still mad about it.  

His son, Henri II came along and didn’t have the collecting bug like his father did but did appreciate what they did have. Eventually, Henri IV & Marie de Medici would add a sizeable amount. 

Louis XIII called on Nicols Poussin, Simon Vouet, Philippe de Champaigne, and Laurent de La Hyre as the painters to the king to add to the collection but it was his son that would amass more than any other king. 

The Sun King, Louis XIV broke the bank by acquiring as much as he could. Italian masters, Northern School, and his own artists including Charles Le Brun, Claude Gellee, and Pierre Puget. 

When Louis XIV decided to flee to Versailles in 1678 he gave up the Palais du Louvre to the artists and academics. Many including Jaques Louis David moved their atelier and homes into the Louvre and the artists were allowed to remain until Napoleon kicked them out. Over time it was the artists that shook up the 19th century that visited the galleries and copied  the masters. Manet, Fantin Latour, Monet, and Berthe Morisot were often found in the Italian section and you can still find artists to this day doing the same thing. 

By the time Louis XVI was in power, he had instructed his Minister of the King’s buildings, Comte d’Angiviller (Gee-Vee- Lear) to purchase paintings to fill a void in the collection. Peter Paul Rubens, Antoine van Dyck, and Le Nain were just a few.  Rooms dedicated to his 

During his fall the decision was made to create a museum three-quarters of the over 720 pieces had been in the hands of the kings of France. The rest were confiscated from churches and the families that chose to flee France. 

The long Grande Galerie saw the paintings hung frame to frame and floor to ceiling. Today the ceiling is open to windows letting in the natural light but in 1793 it was the light from the sides that flooded in. Those windows are still there today, just hidden away behind a wall. It was artist Hubert Robert who painted an imaginary piece of what the Grand Galerie could look like that in fact would be the inspiration of the view we now see. 

Although it was opened as a gift to the citizens of France they were only allowed to visit one to three days a week. These were the Revolutionary years and the ten-day calendar was in place. For 2 days it was closed for cleaning, depending on the year the public only had one to three days a week to visit and the remaining six of the ten days were reserved only for the artists and copies. The first month it was only open for 12 days. 

The Palais du Louvre survived the anger of the Revolution and Terror unscathed. The supreme figure of the royal family of Paris was left without a mark because it was given back to the people of France in the middle of one of its darkest times. 

The museum had to close on April 26, 1796, when the building was falling into disrepair. It was one thing to have a public palace turning into a shrine to art it was another to dip into the purse of the government to keep it going. Over the next five years, it would open and close many times until July 14, 1801, when it was once again fully open for everyone to visit. 

As time went on more and more art was added to the museum. The Chateau de Versailles held all of the art and paintings of the French school while the Louvre focused those first few years on the International school mostly made up of Italian and Northern Europe artists.  

Then came Napoleon. 

Hitler wasn’t the only one that looted art for his own purposes, long before it was Napoleon Bonaparte. In the spring of 1796, General Napoleon during the Italian campaigns took it upon himself to gather the works of the great masters. Arriving in each city he asked for some of the greatest paintings in their collections. Amassing twenty to thirty at a time including works by Rubens, da Vinci, Titian, and Raphael from the collections of the Duke of Parma, Milan, and even the Pope. With each gathered collection he set up treaties with the dukes and Pope giving the rightful ownership to Napoleon and France. 

The Treaty of Tolentino in February 1797 allowed him to enter any museum and private building and take anything they wanted including the Apollo Belvedere and the statues of the Nile and Tiber. Their next stop was Venice where he took the winged lions of St Mark’s Square and the bronze horses of St Mark’s Basilica that he would later place on top of his Arc du Triomphe du Carrousel. It was also in Vence where he would take Veronese’s Wedding Feast of Cana. A visit to the Vatican resulted in hundreds of manuscripts and forced them to pay for their transport to Paris. 

In December 1797, 640 crates were sent to Paris in a mass convoy and arrived in the City of Light on July 27, 1798, and were greeted with a two-day celebration, the Festival of Liberty and the Arts.  For two full days, the convoy drove through the streets of Paris. The Apollo Belvedere stood tall and held a banner that read, “Greece lost them, Rome lost them. Their fate has changed twice; they won’t change again”. However, it would. 

In 1814 after the abdication of Napoleon, the owners of the seized goods wanted them back. Pope Pius VII worked with Louis XVIII who at first seemed happy to give everything back then changed his mind. Representatives from Italy arrived in Paris demanding their art returned. Deals were made and of the 5,200 pieces less than half went back. Many pieces were lost, given away, or destroyed. Today the Louvre has a few that were diplomatically agreed on, including the Wedding Feast of Cana and Tiber, and many paintings.

In November 1800 the Musée des Antiques moved into the summer apartments of Anne of Austria below the Galerie d’Apollon and was inaugurated by Napoleon. He would of course rename it the Musée Napoleon during his rule and even bring the Mona Lisa to his bedroom in the Palais des Tuileries. 

Today when you visit the Louvre, the Grande Galerie is still filled with the paintings that were picked and adored by the kings of France. However, on August 10, 1793, 230 years ago, the birth of my beloved Musée du Louvre came to be and she continues to evolve and grow.

Want to explore the Louvre with me and uncover all its history and art when you are in Paris next? Reach out and schedule a tour with me. I love to share my favorite place and all the stories it holds. 

Episode 167 - Vel d'Hiv

On July 16 & 17, 1942, one of the darkest moments of occupied Paris started early in the morning before anyone opened their eyes. 

One month before on June 16, Frenchman and secretary general of the Vichy government René Bousquet agreed with Nazi officials to round up 40,000 Jews from occupied Paris. This was just a small slice of the 110,000 they wanted from Western Europe.  The “Swan Wind” would take part in Paris, Nancy, and the Marne, the most successful being that of Paris. 

On May 14, 1941, 3700 Jews of mostly Eastern European background living in Paris were gathered. Over 6,600 Jews were sent a “green ticket” summons to their home and told to gather at one of the numerous meeting locations. They were allowed to bring one person with them. Many believed it was just a normal examination and complied. Upon arrival, they were immediately sent off in busses to the Gare de Austerlitz and deported eventually arriving at Auschwitz and their death. 

Fourteen months later it was time to do it again. More people were aware of their tactics but also thought Parisian Jews were to be spared.  At 4:00 am a mass roundup of Jewish families began, led by French soldiers under the order of Vichy officials. On July 16, the “ticket holders” arrived at their meeting points.  A few families heard rumors in advance and were able to flee but 13,152 family members weren’t so lucky. 4,992 men and women without children were immediately taken to the train station and taken to Drancy to await deportation. 

As the buses arrived at the Velodrome as seen in the only photo known to this day the number was staggering. 8,160 people of that 4,115 children, 2,916 women, and 1,129 men. The conditions were horrible. The Germans painted the massive glass ceiling black, the windows were nailed shut and only five restrooms were in use. There wasn’t any food or water, it was a hot muggy summer and the smells were horrible. To make matters worse, as soon as they arrived they were all separated leaving the children alone with each other. 

For five days it was as bad as they thought it could get, until they began to send them to Drancy and other camps that led to the trains to Auschwitz. The women and men went first on August 5, then the children two weeks later.  Children were as young as 4 years old, without their parents alone, hungry and scared. It’s hard to even imagine. 

The Velodrome was a sports arena built near the Eiffel Tower in 1909 by Henri Desgrange, editor of l’Auto and creator of the Tour de France. The arena held 17,000 spectators and weekly cycling races, concerts, roller skating &  boxing matches that Hemingway attended in the 1920s. When the Germans arrived they demanded the keys to the building. 

A fire destroyed it in 1959 and today holds a garden and memorial to those lost. The Jardin Mémorial des Enfants du Vel d’Hiv’, created in 2017 and inaugurated on the 75th anniversary of the tragic event.  The somber garden is located at the former entrance of the Velodrome and is dominated by the marble wall engraved with the names of the 4,115 children. Under the trees are photos and stories of many of the children and families that were killed. White rocks of different sizes dot the garden reminiscent of the pebbles left on Jewish tombs. 

It’s very difficult to see but also very important and the least we can do is to remember those little lives that never had a chance to grow up because of hatred.

Paulette Zajac Born 11 Juillet, 1937, lived at 62 rue des Cascades in the 20e 

Deported 17 August 1942, at 5 years old 

Brucha Gaut born 14 September 1931, 275 due de Bellvielle 19e 

Parents Chaskiel & Malka were deported on caravans 4 & 14 

Brucha was deported alone at 10 years old on 21 August caravan 19 

Renee Goldman-Lewin 

18 rue d’Auberville 19e 

Mother Gilda was deported first on convoy 16

Renee was deported alone on caravan 22, August 21 

Grosbard family, 16 rue de Charonne 11e 

Father Ela - convoy #1 

Mother Pessa- Convoy #16

Older kids Frymeta 16 and Chain 13 on August 5 convoy 15

Sima was deported alone at 5 years old in convoy 23 

Jablonka family of 10 

3 oldest kids were all deported alone and separately

5 younger people were deported together a week later 

Parents went in convoys 1 and 4

Helen & Charles Holstein 7 and 2 ½ 

Parents from Warsaw, lived at 129 Faubourg du Temple 10e 

Father caravan 10

Kids with mother August 21 

Near the former Vel d’Hiv above the Seine is the  Square de la Place des Martyrs Juif de Vélodrome d'Hiver. Renamed and dedicated by Mayor Jacques Chirac in remembrance of those lost to the hatred of the Nazis of WWII. Sculptor Walter Spitzer created the monument Memorial of the Victims of the Winter Velodrome. Spitzer, a Polish-born artist who at 16 years old in 1943 was deported to the Blechhammer, labor camp at Auschwitz. 

After he was released in 1945, he immigrated to France and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Spitzer devoted his entire life to creating art dedicated to the remembrance of those lost in WWII at the hands of the Nazis. 

Vichy official René Bousquet was a high-ranking official until the end of the war “pledging” his allegiance to the Resistance to save his own skin. In 1989 a crime against humanity was filed against him. On June 8, 1993, he was killed in the doorway of his 16e home by Christian Didier who wanted to avenge the deaths of so many Jews carried out by Bousquet. 

In 1995, Jacques Chirac at the yearly ceremony, for the first time acknowledged France’s role in this horrible event. On July 16, 2017, President Macron took a more rigid stance saying “It was indeed France that organized this”. 

Each year on the Sunday closest to July 16 a ceremony is held and flowers are left in remembrance. Check out my Live video last Sunday that began at the Statue of Liberty and ended at the two somber yet beautiful memorials. 

Episode 165 - Claudine's Favorite Paris Secrets and Art Books

There is one thing that Paris does very well and it is the many details that you can find around every corner. When asked in interviews what my favorite thing about Paris is, it is always the details.  From the cathedral grates around the bases of trees to the Vert Wagon green that you will find all over Paris from the bouquinistes to the benches, I love them all.  Each and every thing was thought out over the centuries and we are the lucky recipients to see them all.  Between the details on the street and the art in the museums, these are some of my very favorite books on the subject.  

Curiosities of Paris by Dominique Lesbros is a fantastic book for the eagle-eyed traveler. When I am walking down any street in Paris my head is on a constant swivel looking for every plaque, old street sign, and door knocker. The pages of this book are filled with things that even the savviest flaneur may miss. The remains of the ancient walls that once encircled Paris, the more than 120 sundials, and one of my favorites, the ruins and reminders of the grand buildings that have disappeared over time. 

Dominique Lesbros also wrote the Secretes et Curiosités des Monuments de Paris . This one is all in French but it is a treasure trove of the smallest details of some of the iconic locations in Paris including the Louvre and its many markings left behind by the kings that touched the palace and future museum. Lesbros also wrote Paris Bizzare also in French and includes some of the same things in the other two books but still filled with juicy details. 

Unexplored Paris Rodolphe Trouilleux, this goody is filled with things I hadn't seen before. The owl on the building designed by Viollet-le-Duc, the rats on the former home of Sarah Bernhardt and even the original 1806 meridian stone marker where you can start your own Rose Line hunt of the Arago markers. 

The cemeteries of Paris are filled with the stories of Paris from long ago complete with an outdoor free museum. A miniature Winged Victory, check, bronze Raft of the Medusa, check and hundreds upon hundreds of busts, statues, and effigies by some of the biggest sculptors in French history.  I love to spend at least one full day walking the uneven maze of paths that wind through Père-Lachaise armed with my never-ending list of tombs to find. Two fantastic books for the tombstone tourist include all of the large cemeteries of Paris and highlight the notable folks that spend eternity there along with some you may not know. Permanent Parisians by Judi Culbertson & Tom Randall and Stories in Stone by Douglas Keister. 

Another favorite is the small book Angels of Paris by my friend Rosemary Flannery. With beautiful photos and stories she shares more than 70 angels on the facades and in the statues of Paris you may have overlooked. When we met she told me she wrote a book about angels and I said “is it Angels is Paris, I love that book”. It’s a must for any Paris library. 

Speaking of the beautiful things in Paris, these next books are about the art of Paris, the temples of art and the artists that left a mark for the generations to come. If you love the Impressionists then you will want to read The Judgement of Pari: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King. I couldn’t stop reading this book, filled with the stories of Manet and the most popular artists of the time that is now completely forgotten Ernest Meissonier. The tales of the Salon and the exclusion of the yet to be named Impressionists and how they formed their own exhibition is fascinating. And you will become obsessed with Manet after this book. 

We know the names of so many of the artists, but the models are still widely unappreciated. More than just a pretty face these women would have to hold a pose for hours on end in small studios. One woman, Suzanne Valadon, while standing for hours a day for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Modigliani also soaked up their techniques and movements and each night would take to her own canvas. Renoir’s Dancer: The Secret Life of Suzanne Valadon by Catherine Hewitt tells the fascinating story of this struggling and at times tragic artist. She is also the subject of the new La Vie Creative podcast I am doing with Krystal Kenny.

Art for Travellers France by Bill & Lorna Hannan is a somewhat unknown book but a real gem. Not only does it have some pretty in depth info on the art in the museums, but it is broken up by time period. Starting with the Middle Ages, the details on Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle and Saint Denis can rival any book I have ever seen. Details on the artists and paintings of the Impressionist and post Impressionist are fantastic. You won’t even find these kinds of details in the info the Musée d’Orsay or the Louvre. 

Episode 164 - The real story behind Bastille Day

This Friday is the French national holiday known as La Fête Nationale du 14 juillet. In America, most people know it as Bastille Day, the day that they swarmed the Bastille prison to release the prisoners and tear it apart, or that is what most people think the holiday stands for. 

Let’s back up a bit, or 400 years first. Much like the original Louvre fortress, the Bastille was created to protect the city. Charles V added an arsenal and bastide to his wall that encircled Paris.  The first stone was laid on April 22, 1370, complete with four tours, the fortress would eventually have eight towers used for the treasury and eventually prisoners. 

In 1580, Henri IV and the Duc du Sully moved the treasury of France to the Bastille, under his widow and regent Marie de Medicis she would later spend all of the money. The function of Bastille as a prison in 1469 under Louis XI but it was Cardinal Richelieu in the 17th century that would really optimize the prison for his many enemies. 

Famous residents of the prison include the man in the Iron Mask who entered on September 18, 1698, into the Bethaudiere tower named for the Maison who jumped to his death during construction. After the arrest of Nicolas Fouquet under the orders of Louis XIV in 1663, he was moved to the Bastille on June 18.  Voltaire passed through the doors and artist Bernard Palissy who created his distinct ceramic dishes died in the prison in 1589. 

 In July 1789, while tensions were high in Paris due to the people being fed up with the crisis hitting their pocketbooks, people began to revolt. They would seek out guns and ammunition that the government strategically hid away. An angry group broke into Hôtel des Invalides to gather all the weapons and gunpowder held inside, they were outsmarted when over 250 barrels of gunpowder were moved the day prior to the Bastille. 

On the morning of July 14, a crowd of over a thousand men took to the Bastille. Demanding the release of the gunpowder and prisoners, the crowd grew angrier as these demands were not met. Gunfire rang out and the fight began. Cutting the drawbridge, killing people beneath it when the Royal Army arrived. Over 100 people died and in the end, the Bastille was emptied of all seven prisoners. Yes, you read that correctly, seven prisoners. 

Discouraged that their symbolic attempt realized 4 counterfeiters, a kidnapper, an accomplice in an attempted killing of Louis XV, and the Count of Whyte whose family locked him up when he began to suffer from dementia.  Leaders were so upset they only released seven prisoners that they made one up. The “Count of Lorges” was an “unfortunate old man who was loaded down with chains, half-naked, covered in hair and a long beard”. 

When word reached Versailles and King Louis XIV, he asked if it had been a revolt, Francois Frederic de la Rochetoucauld responded “No, it was a Revolution”. Less than 4 months later on October 5, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and family were taken from Versailles to Paris and their slow march to death. 

On July 15, 1889, Pierre Francois Palloy was given the contract to dismantle the prison. The stones were sold and used around France including being carved into replicas of the prison, one can be seen in the Carnavalet museum in Paris.  Today in Paris, if you keep your eyes open you can find a few of these stones.  In 1791, stones would be used to build the Pont de la Concorde. One hundred years later in 1899 while Paris was taken over with the building of the new Metro the base of the Bastille would reappear and be unearthed. 

Just off the banks of the Seine at the Square Henri Galli, the tower base was rebuilt among the foliage. A short walk away, in the Place de la Bastille where the prison once stood is a column in the center, although it commemorates the revolution in 1830. However, look down as you cross the street, the outline of the original prison remains today and is newly traced with brass markers in the recent revamp of the area. As you take the metro below your feet, look around, you may spot a few more stones. 

Although that’s now where the 14 of July holiday got its start. The next year in 1890 a grand feast and event was held on the Champ de Mars. The Fete de la Federation marked the one-year anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille and even the king and queen were in attendance. More than 14,000 soldiers marched from the Bastille to the Champ de Mars  In front of the crowd, the king took an oath to hold up the Constitution to the nation. Marie Antoinette stepped forward and the crowd cheered and cries of Vive le Roi and Vive la reine filled the vast space. Over 400,000 people were in attendance, including La Fayette, captain of the Parisian National Guard. 

On March 21, 1880, Benjamin Raspail proposed July 14 as the date of the national celebration. On July 6, 1880, it was officially adopted and the first military took place at the Longchamp racecourse. It is still done each year on the Champs Élysées, the longest-running military parade in the world. 

The very first celebration was marked by Édouard Manet in a handwritten note to Isabelle Lemonnier complete with watercolor tricolor flags. You can see the note in the Musée d’Orsay at the fantastic Manet/Degas exhibit running until July 23. 

On July 9. I walked my fantastic Patreon supporters around the Place de la Bastille and shared all its history. We will return on July 30 once again to talk about the July Column and why it was created and the Three Glorious Days.  Join my Patreon now so you don’t miss it.

Episode 163 - Favorite Paris History books

I’m often asked where all the information about these wonderful tales I share of Paris comes from. It’s hard to answer because I dig deep for some of the info online, in the libraries of Paris but mostly in the many books that fill my office.  Many people go to Paris to shop the latest trends at the fancy boutiques on Rue Saint Honore, but I am happiest digging through the bouquinistes and the many bookstores in Paris to find the treasured pages of French history.  Many days my walks back to my apartment are weighed down with the books I find in the Louvre bookstore convinced I couldn’t possibly leave without that huge book about the Sacre de Napoleon. Once you master being able to read in French then the whole game takes a giant leap forward. However, inside these treasures is where I find the answers to questions I have been dying to know and what makes me giddy with excitement every single time. 

There are many lists out there of the favorite books about Paris and they all have the same titles on them every time, I may have one or two of those on here but this list is for all you lovers of Paris that want to dig deeper and learn just a little bit more. When I sat down to gather my favorite titles it was almost impossible to stop at only 5 or 6. So, I will break them out for you a bit over time, first up my favorite books I use for research and history of Paris books. 

These first three books, all in French, I grab anytime I need to find out anything about a certain street or address. The first is Jean-Marie Cassagne’s Paris Dictionnaire du Nom des Rues. Every single street, square, and passage is in this book. From Rue de l’Abbaye to Boulevard de la Zone complete with the history of who or what it was named for. It is fascinating and you will never walk down a street in Paris the same again.  Oscar Lambert’s Rue des Salauds is another great book for street hunters. Focusing on a few specific streets like Rue de Richelieu and Rue Mazarine, the pages are filled with the history and stories of some of my favorite streets in Paris. 

Jacques Hillairet’s Connaissance du Vieux Paris, this gem of a book digs even deeper into the streets and addresses of Paris, originally published in 1951. I saw this book in the stores many times and had a small bit of self control and then one day while walking along the Quai de Mégisserie there it was at one of the iconic bouquinistes, all wrapped up and waiting for me. Broken out by areas, this book will go into the smallest detail noting architectural features as well as the history of the address sometimes going as far back as what stood there before. It is a fascinating view of old Paris. 

It is almost impossible for me to narrow down history books focused on Paris, but these are some of the best that stay with you long after you read that final page.  How Paris Became Paris by Joan DeJean. Focusing on a few specific events in the history of Paris that made her what she is today. The very first chapter of this book is about the Pont Neuf, I read this book years ago and I still remember every detail I learned in this chapter alone. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but if you have ever walked across the oldest bridge in Paris and fallen in love with it, this chapter and book is for you. Filled with historical etchings and photos you will learn about everything from the Place des Vosges to Haussmann, I now need to read this goodie again. 

Alistair Horne’s Seven Ages of Paris, much like How Paris Became Paris takes a few specific slices out of the moments in Paris’s history and the men that left their mark on it. Starting with Philippe Auguste and his great wall it also includes the time of Henri IV, Louis XIV, Napoleon, The Commune, Treaty of Versailles, and De Gaulle. Very well done and researched but not overly technical you will learn a lot at the same time as being entertained. 

Susan Cahill wrote three wonderful books for the Paris explorer Hidden Gardens of Paris, The Streets of Paris, and her newest Sacred Paris. I love the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Tuileries but there are countless small green treasures with their vert wagon benches just waiting for you to come sit on a sunny day. Her book highlights a few of the details in the park, what you can find nearby, and even a great place for lunch.  The Streets of Paris take you on a stroll to some beautiful streets in the stories of the people that shaped them. Filled with tips on the best time to visit and the details to look out for. All three books are also filled with gorgeous photos of each street, church, and garden. 

I have added a few more on my website for the Paris history lover as well as a link to all the books in my La Boutique. I do make some (very) small wine money if you buy it through my website. 

Ina Caro’s Paris to the Past, Traveling Through French History By Train, is another one of my favorites I have read it a few times. Ina takes a fascinating trip through French history through its many chateaux and palaces. Beginning with the Basilique Saint-Denis, the birth of French Gothic and chronologically traveling the ages until Napoleon. Her descriptions are mouth-watering for the armchair history and architectural buff. I have even downloaded and listened to this book as I walked through Fontainebleau. Another I want to reread again now. 

Paris the Secret History by Andrew Hussey tells its tale through the people that left their mark on the city from the lowest to the nobility. Palaces, brothels, cemeteries, churches, and the lurid tales that sprang from each of them. From Lutecia to the riots of 1968, this book will give you a taste of the “other” Paris. 

Eric Hazen’s The Invention of Paris takes you on a romp through history by way of its many quarters and villages in the eyes of its many writers and artists. Victor Hugo, Manet, Balzac, Baudelaire and Doisneau. Paris wasn’t much bigger than the Ile de la Cité when it first began, over time it began to swallow up the small areas that sat “outside” each with their own exciting tale to tell. 

Episode 162 - Hemingway and Miro

When Ernest and Hadley Hemingway first arrived in Paris and met Gertrude Stein, she advised the young couple to spend their money on art. Stein and her brother Leo had been collecting art since they arrived in Paris in 1902 and had amassed quite a collection that included Matisse, Picasso, and Cézanne. Hemingway took her advice but didn’t have a lot of money to spend and couldn’t afford any of the masters. Stein advised him to buy art from his contemporaries and suggested he look at Joan Miró. 

Stein took him to the studio of Miró and André Mason on Rue Blomet where he watched the two painters. Mason was known for his landscape paintings and card scenes and Hem took a shine to them right away and purchased four paintings including Le Coup de Dés. Mason would later ask to borrow it back for his one-man show on a snowy night at the Galerie Simon. Hem gladly allowed it and on the night of the show he and Hadley attended to proudly see their piece and also support their friend. The plaque on Le Coup de Dés said “loaned by M Hemmingway”, annoyed that his name was spelled wrong. (It is a long family annoyance for sure) 

In April 1925 on a visit to Miró’s studio, he first saw this painting, The Farm. It spoke to him in a way that a painting had never done before and he constantly thought about it. On June 12, 1925, Hem & Hadley went to Miró’s one-man show at the Galerie Pierre. When he saw the painting again it said it belonged to Evan Shipman, which crushed him. At 3500 francs was far too expensive for the couple living off her inheritance from her uncle but that didn’t stop Ernest. That night he had an advance check in his coat pocket for $200 that was to pay for their summer in Spain. That night a  roll of the dice or a flip of a coin with Shipman giving the winner the chance to buy it, gave Shipman the advantage. He saw how much Hem wanted it and neither man could afford it, but he relented to his friend and let him purchase it.  The next day he visited the gallery and offered him 500 francs to put down on the painting.

Hem would stop by and give the gallery a little bit of money, chipping away at the total owed until September 30, 1925, when he finally paid it off. However, not before visiting his friends and the bars of Montparnasse asking for a few francs from each person to complete the transaction. Hemingway wanted to get it in time for Hadley’s 34th birthday on November 9. And that is the most important part of this entire story.  The painting hung above their bed at 113 Rue Notre-Dame des Champs as a reminder of better times in their lives when they were in Spain. 

Miró’s The Farm was a landscape of his family's home near Barcelona in Mont-roig del Camp painted in 1921. It was his personal love letter to a place he loved carried out in every paint stroke. The painting was 4 x 4 feet and was one of the best pieces he had done to date. When he arrived in Paris he brought it with him and showed it to an art dealer that told him he should cut it up into smaller pieces to sell. There was no way he would do that and held onto it for five more years. 

When Hemingway and Hadley split up the next year in 1926, she told him to keep it but he told her it was a gift to her for her birthday and he wanted her to have it. It would remain with Hadley and her second husband Paul Mowrer and return to Illinois with them in the 1930s.  While still in Paris the Galerie Pierre attempted to purchase it back for a large profit. Although, Hemingway replied to them and said NO and to “shove the $1000 up their ass”.  Hadley and Paul did loan it to the Art Institute of Chicago for many years until Galerie Pierre asked yet again to borrow it on behalf of their art dealer in New York. Asking Hemingway and not Hadley again, but this time he said yes. Hadley had it sent to New York but would have no idea it would be the last time she ever saw it again. 

After the loan, The Farm was returned to Hemingway in Key West and not Hadley. When Hem and Martha Gelhorn set up their home in Cuba, he brought the painting with him, hanging it on the dining room wall. 

In 1958 he agreed once again to loan it out this time to the Museum of Modern Art in New York but getting it out of Cuba was another story. The MoMa planned to send a curator to Cuba on January 4, 1959, but little did they know Cuba was going to collapse and fall into a revolt on the final day of 1958. After a few weeks of negotiation, Hemingway called it off, and he acquiesced and let them try again only if they promised that if it was destroyed they would compensate him for it. On February 1, Curator David Vance arrived in Cuba and located an armored truck that would take them to the Finca Vigia, obtain the painting, and return to the airport. A special crate was created and sent ahead but arrived in Panama instead of Cuba along with the customs paperwork. 

Getting it to the airport through the roads and paths that had been destroyed was a harrowing experience and they thought they were in the clear with the painting in hand sitting on the plane. About to take off, Cuban soldiers sped down the runway and stopped them removing the painting and not allowing them to take off. The museum was able to convince the embassy that the painting was on loan and would return on a specific date, but it never would return to Cuban soil. 

With the painting safely at the MoMa, curators looked at it and saw what a horrible shape it was in. The paint had faded and cracked and mildew from its former tropical home was moving through the canvas. Hemingway’s fourth wife Mary had told them it was in great condition, which would later cost Hemingway over $1500 that he personally had to pay to restore it. She was livid that they were forced to pay for it and said it was their fault. 

The painting was on loan to the MoMa’s permanent collection at the time of Hemingway’s death in July 1961. In December of that year, Hadley & Paul Mowrer sent his widow Mary a letter asking for the painting that belonged to Hadley returned. Mary was outraged and said that the painting belonged to Ernest and in a letter to her lawyer was shocked that the Mowrer’s even had the nerve to ask. 

A year after his death Paul and Hadley decided to sue Mary and the estate for the painting that rightfully belonged to her. Once they contacted the MoMa and let them know, it forced the museum to hold onto the painting until the legal proceedings concluded. Hemingway was a pack rat and saves every single piece of paper he ever touched. Mary had someone go through his papers to see if there was anything that mentioned Miró’s The Farm. Valerie Hemingway had found a letter that Hem had sent to Hadley asking her if he could borrow it for 6 months and he would return it afterward because it belonged to her. Hadley and Hem had a close relationship until the end of his life. He frequently confided in her and asked for her advice and they was always a steady stream of letters between them. 

When Mary found this letter with the proof of ownership of The Farm, she destroyed it. 

Wanting to end the fight and legal battle the Mowrers settled with Mary in 1963 resulting in a payout of $25,000 that Mary begrudgingly paid, which was less than 10% of the current value of the painting. Mary was a constantly angry woman and when she knew how the MoMa responded to the lawsuit and didn’t side with her she threatened to loan the painting to another museum. 

She had no intention to let them keep it and wanted it for her new apartment in New York to once again hang in her dining room. It had been five years since it left Cuba and two years since its biggest fan took his life. The MoMa asked yet again to borrow it for a Miro retrospective, Mary of course said no, she was keeping it. However, she would allow the National Art Gallery to display it in 1976 which I am sure irritated the MoMa. 

She had never gotten past her belief that the MoMa ruined it and in her will she made sure they would never see it again. In 1986, when Mary died she bequeathed it to the National Gallery with one stipulation, it had to name her Mary Hemingway as the donner. It still hangs in the National Gallery of Art with her name, who was never the rightful owner. 

Recorded at the National Gallery of Art

Episode 160 - Solo Travel to Paris

You have dreamed your whole life to go to Paris, so what is holding you back? Maybe your significant other or best friend would rather spend a vacation on a beach or hiking on a mountain, but you want to stroll the cobblestones and start every morning with a warm croissant and café on a terrace. I am here to tell you if you want to go, GO!  

Paris is one of the most accessible cities to visit alone and I have done it more than ten times now. It is easy to navigate, safe and there are plenty of things to do.  When I am in Paris I spend much of my time researching French history, strolling through museums, and spending hours sitting on a terrace enjoying a glass or four of French wine. However, the beauty of Paris is that you can make it all on your own and do anything you want. 

My first trip to Paris, was many years ago when a friend used her air miles to get me a ticket, and months later, I arrived to visit the city I loved so much before I ever set foot in it. It was to be a short six-day trip and then onto Florence where my friend lived. After two days, she said to me one hot and muggy day, “I think you should go back to Paris”.  The thought of turning around by myself and heading back to Paris at first sounded pretty scary, but after a lovely lunch and lots of wine, it sounded better and better. A ticket was purchased, the hotel secured and the next day I was back on a plane, heading straight to Paris.  

Arriving at Orly, luggage in hand, and off to grab a taxi I went. Well, so I thought. Following the taxi signs, I was approached by a man asking if I needed a taxi, well how easy can this be, Oui Oui! As we walked towards the cars, we stopped at a motorcycle.  With my large luggage in tow, wondering how this was going to happen and picturing myself dying on the way into the city of love, I told myself that I could do this. Strapping my suitcase and myself in and gripping for my life it was onto Paris. If you have been in a car on a Paris highway you will recall seeing the motorcycles zipping in-between cars, well this guy wasn’t any different.  Halfway through the trip, my sweaty hands loosened their grip and before I knew it, we were flying by the Jardin du Luxembourg and Place Saint Michel. I wanted to let go and open my arms and embrace being back in Paris, but let’s not get too crazy.  It took under 30 minutes during rush hour to get to my hotel, cost about twice as much as it should have but for the 75 euros I bought a sense of freedom I didn’t even know I had, and that is priceless. I was standing on the Pont des Arts as sunset fell and knew I was exactly where I should be. 

When you travel on your own, the whole day and the city are open to you. If you want to spend four hours in the Cour Puget of the Musée du Louvre, you can. Perhaps walking aimlessly through the streets on an early Sunday morning stopping along the way at a café for that perfect croissant is more on your agenda, you can do that as well. Your time is yours to do with as you would like, so soak it all in. 

There are a few things to keep in mind when you plan that seule voyage. Location and safety are the biggest but don’t let any of that scare you. For myself, I stay fairly central on the left or right bank which is a lovely walk to the museums where I spend a lot of my time. Saint Germain is a bustling area at all hours of the day and late into the evening and walking late into the night is never a problem. As a solo woman traveling, I recommend staying in Saint Germain, the Marais, Opera, and Latin Quarter areas especially if you will be walking at night. I have never had a moment that I did not feel safe walking in Paris, even if it was the wee hours of the morning. Be aware of your surroundings and your belongings at all times and walk with confidence and you won’t have any problems.  

One of the greatest pleasures in Paris is the delicious food, and traveling alone should not stop you from enjoying every single morsel.  One of the advantages of traveling alone is that you are able to meet some wonderful people and a restaurant is the perfect place to make some wonderful connections.  It is not uncommon to see many people eating alone day and night reading a book or channeling their inner Hemingway and writing away.  Lunch is a great way to enjoy some of the best restaurants in Paris and save a little money as well.  Inside the café may be a bit intimidating and if that’s the case, grab one of the iconic Paris café chairs on the terrace and as a bonus, it comes complete with a live show as people pass by you.  The Parisian terrace is the solo traveler’s best friend and the close seats can lead to wonderful conversations. 

There is nothing stopping you as the solo female traveler in Paris, however, if you have a day when you want to meet other people there are some great ways to do it. A walking tour is a fantastic option to connect with fellow travelers. There are many offered all over Paris and can be found online, and simply pick a theme that interests you and join in the fun.  You will spend a few hours with people that share the same curiosities as you and many including my own ends with a drink at a café where you can really connect with others over a glass of Champagne.  Speaking of wine, another great place is at many of the local wine bars. A more relaxed and fun environment than the terrace cafes, the standup wine bars turn into a party later in the night, and its impossible not to have a great time. The Odeon treasure by Yves Camdeborde, L’Avant Comptoir de la Terre where any given night can turn into an Elton John sing a long while you dine on Brochette Foie Gras Piquillos and the Champagne never stops flowing.  You are all friends by the end of that night. 

If you want to go to enjoy all the beauty that is Paris, I hope you take all this as your permission to go do just that. Paris will feed your soul and mine finally came alive that first night I arrived by myself. Nothing should keep you from sitting in one of those green Luxembourg chairs, a great book in your hand as the hours tick away under the shade of the trees around the Fontaine Médicis. After all, we only live once and these moments should not be missed now when I think back to that motorcycle taxi ride from Orly and how scared I was at that moment and where it lead me to today as my arms are wrapped around a Frenchman and on the back of a motorcycle with a bottle of Champagne in my bag as we race to Champs de Mars. Well, I would not change a single thing.  

If you are looking to travel solo to Paris and have any questions, feel free to reach out. Happy to inspire and push you to take the leap, you won’t regret it. 

Listen to the newest episode out now here

Episode 159 - Summer in Paris

Summer 2023 is already in full swing and the streets of Paris are busy. With a few things in mind, you can navigate Paris and your itinerary like a pro.
I love a museum and special exhibits even more and there are some great ones all over Paris from the smallest to the most significant museums. I must first mention the Musée du Louvre and the current exhibit bringing together the largest collection of the Italian Renaissance. Spread throughout the Grande Galerie, the Museo di Capodimonte collection speaks directly alongside the collection gathered by the Kings of France. 

The Grande Galerie dates back to the end of the 16th century and was built by Henri IV as a playground for his son Louis XIII and to connect the Palais du Louvre to the Palais des Tuileries. In 1793, the Grande Galerie served as the original location and room for the Musée du Louvre and today holds the Italian masters including Leonardo da Vinci. 

The exhibit extends from the Grande Galerie into two floors of the Pavillon de l’Horloge in the center of the Sully wing. Don’t miss these rooms, the drawings of Raphael and Michel-Ange are amazing to see in person. 

Other great exhibits running through the summer include: 

Basquiat/Warhol at the Fondation Louis Vuitton until August 28 

The two collaborated on nearly 200 paintings, see many of them up close in the museum that is also a work of art. 

Sarah Bernhardt  at the Petit Palais until August 27

(before you go listen to the episode we did all about the 

great stage actress)

Manet/Degas at the Musée d’Orsay until July 23 

This is an amazing exhibit, be sure to also secure your time slot online for the exhibit when you book your ticket. 

Léon Monet at the Musée du Luxembourg until July 16 

The mostly unknown brother of the Impressionist master Claude Monet had a vast collection of paintings as well as also inspired by color in another way. 

Picasso Celebration at the Musée Picasso Paris until August 27 

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death in April, museums around the world are showcasing exhibits dedicated to his vast collection of works. In partnership with designer Paul Smith, the Picasso Museum is transformed into a conversation between the walls and the paintings. 

Des Cheveux et des Poils at the Musée des Arts Decoratifes until September 17. 

It may sound odd that it is an exhibit dedicated to hair but don’t skip this one. The exhibition is a walk through the history of hair and how different styles were influenced by events and even showed how important you were. It’s very well done with many portraits, objects, and even a bit of Magnum PI. 

There is always an endless list of things to do in Paris and the summer has a few great things that take advantage of the great weather. 

The Paris Plage opens on July 8 and runs until August 27 on the banks of the Seine just below the Hotel de Ville. They may not bring the sand in anymore but they do have lawn chairs and palm trees. 

In the Tuileries any day now we will begin to see the building of the Fete des Tuileires from June 25 to August 28. A great place to take kids and maybe avoid if not, but don’t skip out on the Ferris Wheel for an amazing view of Paris. 

14 Juillet is less than a month away and I can’t wait for my first one in Paris. The night before is really what you want to see. On the 13 of July each year, the firehouses open the doors for huge parties with the Pompiers. Live music, drinks, and the Pompiers, what is there not to love? In the weeks leading up to it, you will find the Pompiers in the streets selling tickets for just a euro or two. 

On the hot days in Paris, it is hard to find air conditioning. Many French people believe that is how you get sick. The same goes for ice but on a hot day, you will still find them filling a few key spots. If you are visiting on a hot day pop into a chocolate store or the frozen food chain Picard that is as cold as an igloo. The Pantheon, the Basilique Saint-Denis, and many churches are other good spot to find some relief from the heat. 

Don’t forget to stay hydrated. The lovely Wallace fountains have been providing water to Parisians for more than 150 years now and are safe to drink and delicious. Simply slide your water bottle in between the caryatids and fill er up. 

Episode 158 - Three Years of Paris History Avec a Hemingway

Three years have passed so quickly. On May 20, 2020, we debuted the first episode of the Paris History Avec a Hemingway podcast as a part of La Vie Creative. It was two months into the pandemic, and now we are still going strong three years later. In this week’s special episode, we chat about our favorite and most surprising episodes we have done. 

Krystal Kenney and I picked our favorite and surprising episodes; a few were even the same. Check each of them out and let us know which were your top episodes. 

I could pick every single one as a favorite but was forced to narrow it down to just three favorites and the three most surprising. Let us know if you had a few favorites. 

Saving the Louvre, episodes 307 & 309, debuted April 3 & 10, 2023. Picked by both Krystal and myself. The heroic acts that were taken in 1939 to move the art from the Louvre in order to outrun the Nazi’s path to Paris were orchestrated by Jacques Jaujard and his staff. However, this wasn’t the first time. The act of saving the Louvre went back to 1830 with the Three Glorious Days, captured on canvas by Eugene Delacroix. In World War One the most important pieces were moved or hidden. Veronese’s Wedding Feast of Cana was hidden behind a wall  The brave men and women spent the years of World War II hidden away with the art they guarded so every single piece could be returned to the walls of the Louvre. 

Listen to the episodes here and here. 

Notre Dame Four Years Later, episode 183, debuted April 17, 2023. It’s hard to imagine that it’s been four years since the fire that came close to destroying Notre Dame de Paris.  Today, Notre Dame is ahead of schedule and just this last week the rafters of the roof began to be dropped into place. With a planned opening of December 8, 2024, the next year will bring a growing spire and roof that will once again get us closer to being back inside. 

Listen to the episode here and watch the YouTube video here 

Rose Valland, episode 24 debuted, July 20, 2020. It could never be a list of favorites for me without Rose on it. The greatest woman in French history, Rose Valland was an integral part of the puzzle of the looted art by the Nazis in WWII. The actions that Rose took during the war saved more than 60,000 pieces of art that were returned to their rightful owners. Without the Rose Valland the Monuments Men would never accomplish what they were tasked to complete. 

Listen to her story here.

The Flooding of the Seine, episodes 289 & 290, debuted January 30 & February 6, 2023. Records going back to the 6th century have tracked the height of the Seine in Paris.  In 1910 the Seine rose to one of its highest points in history. Months of rain and snow that were greeted with higher-than-normal temperatures in December became the perfect storm that forced thousands from their homes. Since then the Seine has come close, most recently in 2016 & 2018 which caused the Louvre to build an entire structure outside of Paris to hold the overflow of art. 

Listen to the episode here & here 

Other favorites include: 

The Palais Garnier, episode 257, October 10, 2022

Montmartre and It’s Artists, episode 233, July 18, 2022

Widows of Champagne, episode 197, May 14, 2022 

The Steinheil Affair, episode 305 March 27, 2023 

Henri Landru, the French blue beard, episodes 293 & 295, February 13 & 20, 2023

Women of Monet, episode 143, September 6, 2021 

Women of Manet, episode 127, July 12, 2021 

Episode 157 - The Destruction of Degenerate Art

On May 28, 1943, 80 years ago a large pile of a few hundred paintings considered “Degenerate” was set ablaze just outside the Jeu de Paume in the Jardin des Tuileries. Our heroine Rose Valland could do nothing but watch in horror as the canvases of Picasso, van Gogh, Chagall, Matisse, and more burned. 

Degenerate art was anything Hitler deemed to “insult German feelings” and was created by immoral artists. To Hitler and the Nazi officials “pleasing” art consisted of landscapes, still lives, and appropriate portraits. Fauvism, Surrealism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the biggest of all ism’s, Impressionism was thought immoral. 

In 1937 the museums and galleries of Germany were cleaned of all degenerate art, more than 20,000 works, and in July a small and crowded exhibition opened with over 600 works on display. The exhibit was deliberately put together haphazardly. Small rooms, art hanging from ropes from the ceiling without frames, incorrect info, and Nazi propaganda scribed on the wall. Nazi officials wanted to unnerve the viewer but instead, it saw over 2 million visitors and in the final month the exhibit was open 24 hours a day to accommodate people. 

The objection to rid Europe of degenerate swept across the continent. Hermann Goring arrived in Paris in 1941 with one thing on his mind, stealing all the art he could for Hitler and himself. Goring didn’t have the same hatred for degenerate art and kept some for himself but not all the art could be saved from ruin. 

As crates of looted art arrived, those unacceptable were placed aside. As Goring made his choices the others were piled in a back room. Rose Valland, the amazing woman who watched it all unfold, stood helplessly, unable to do anything. When we think of what was lost that day, it’s unimaginable but in the larger picture, the lives of the owners were also extinguished during WWII due to hatred and cleansing of what the Nazis thought was acceptable. 

Today, when you visit the Jardin des Tuileries pop up to the northern corner and give a moment of thought to Rose Valland and what was lost.  Listen to the newest episode of the podcast to learn more about this dark period. 

Episode 156 - Buildings Lost to the Commune

On this week’s newest episode of the La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec a Hemingway podcast we venture into an event that happened 152 years ago this week. The Bloody Week as it is called began on Sunday, May 21, 1871, and resulted in more than 10,000 deaths and destroyed close to 600 buildings including 32 public offices in Paris. 

Today, only a few vestiges remain of the structures destroyed in the battle between the National Guard of Paris and the Army of Versailles. The Palais des Tuileries, Hotel de Ville, and Palais d’Orsay are just a few that have been lost forever. 

Hôtel de Ville, the stunning Neo-Renaissance building covered with statues and the roof guarded by soldiers isn’t the first rendition of the building.  The seat of the mayor of Paris since 1357 stood until 1589 when François I decided a much more opulent building was needed. He tapped Italian architect La Boccador who had also been the man behind his Blois and Amboise chateaux in the Loire. Between 1535-1551 the south side facing the Sein was completed. Construction was put on hold for the Wars of Religion and finally picked up again in 1605 by Henri IV and finished in 1628 by Louis XIII. From 1836-1850 the building was expanded, the facade updated and the interior given a lavish polish including frescos by Delacroix and Ingres in the Salon de la Paix. 

However, just a few years later it would all be lost. As the Bloody Week burned their way through Paris, they stopped in the Place de Greve. The Hôtel de Ville was the seat of the Commune Council and on May 24, 1871, they gathered at the door with torches. Evacuating the building in the early morning, they would set it ablaze, and by 11 am it was engulfed in flames, burning for days. 

Everything was lost including the archives of the city. They decided to bring it back to its former grandeur in less than a year. Architect Eduardo Deperthes, using the original plans, had the bones of the exterior rebuilt. The 19th C version would include more than 338 statues of famous French men and a lady or two. Even Rodin did one. Delacroix’s frescos may be gone, but on the south end, he stands looking towards Notre Dame. 

It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris, and hours can be spent walking around it, looking for your favorite artists. Today you can find a few of the ruins in Parc Monceau, Trocadero, and  Square Paul-Langevin. 

For the Palais d’Orsay, we have to go back to the 16th century when it was once the garden of Marguerite de Valois first wife of Henri IV until her death when they turned the property into elegant homes. In 1810 under Napoleon a building was ordered for his expanding government and architect Jacques-Charles Bonnard who had restored the Tuileries was tapped with the project. The first stone was laid on April 4, 1810, but the fall of Napoleon would delay the finish until 1838. 

The Council d’Etat decided to move in to finally complete the building in 1842. 

In 1845 the young painter Thédore Chassériau was asked to complete a series of paintings to decorate the Cour de Comptes stairwell. Chassériau had a gift for drawing as a child. In 1830 at just eleven years old he joined the atelier of Jean-Auguste Ingres, the great French classical painter. He immediately struck at his talent and told everyone about his young protege. Working with him for four years until Ingres left for Rome, he would find another amazing instructor, Eugene Delacroix. The leader of the Romantic movement was the opposite of Ingres. With Delacroix, he discovered the magic of the Orient, the use of color, and the large sweeping murals. Chassériau was the bridge between the classical and romantic styles and it fit him perfectly. 

Chassériau’s paintings lined the stairwell and were partially destroyed that horrible night on May 23, 1871. However, it wasn’t the fire that did most of the damage. For 27 years the burned-out remains of the Palais d’Orsay and the paintings stood through the wind, rain, and sun damaging them further. 

In 1898 it was finally demolished and thankfully the paintings were saved. What is left of them can be found in the Musée du Louvre hanging high above Salle 225 of the Richelieu wing. A few are painted in the grisaille fashion of shades of grey, those are more complete the paintings that are torn and worn away. Chassériau died far too early at just 37 years old but lives on forever on the walls of the Louvre. 

Less than three decades later the beautiful building would be destroyed. On the night of May 23, 1871, the fires of the Commune engulfed the building and for 27 years the burnt-out remains of the Palais d’Orsay remained. 

Maybe the Palais des Tuileries was the most notorious of all these buildings.

Once upon a time in the center of Paris at the end of the Palais du Louvre sat a mythical palace. Built by Catherine de Medici after the death of her husband Henri II, it stretched across and through what today is the Jardin des Tuileries. 

Working with architect Philibert de l’Orme in 1564 she designed a Renaissance palace covered in her iconography that would eventually connect and enclose the western end of the Louvre. Three hundred years of royalty would use the palace including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette who would spend more than two years under supervision after they were removed from Versailles. 

Napoleon I used the Palais des Tuileries as his official residence and spent each night with a certain lady of the Louvre in his bedroom, the Mona Lisa.  However, the grandness of the palace ended on 23 May 1871. 

It was the days of the Paris Commune and a dozen men set out, torches and gas in hand, and set the Tuileries on fire.  The fire would rage for two days and would destroy the historic palace, thankfully stopping before reaching too far into the Louvre and damaging any art. The ruins of the palace would stand for over 12 years and finally be torn down 140 years ago in 1883. 

We can still find a bit of the palace sprinkled throughout the city. You may never even know you walked past or sat on a bench on a lovely summer day in front of these historic remnants. On the southern side of the Jardin des Tuileries is a former arch, partially rebuilt that rises over the terrace that few people even notice. Inside the Musée du Louvre in the Cour Marly is another large window archway. 

The fun really starts when you venture out to the many Paris parks. Just behind the Musée Carnavalet in the Square Georges Cain are the pavilion's remains that once included a clock. You can see the visible black damage from the flames, a slice of history in an often overlooked park. Columns can be found in the courtyard of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and an archway in the side garden of the Trocadero far away from the hordes of people.

Episode 155 - The Last Moments of Henri IV

King of France Henri IV was born on December 13, 1553, although at his birth he was known as Henri III, and how this story gets a bit confusing. Henri’s mother Jeanne d’Albert was the queen of Navarre and married Antoine de Bourbon, the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty who died in 1572. 

That same year just after his father’s death Jeanne and regent to Henri III of France, Catherine de Medici struck a deal when it was apparent that Henri IV was next in line for the throne of France. Catherine’s sons, including three kings, Francis I, Charles IX, and Henri III, died before they could have an heir. Henri IV was a descendant of Louis IX and a Bourbon and next in line and Catherine was always the scheming lady that she knew she should align her daughter to the man that could next be king. 

A deal was reached and Jeanne, the leader of the Huguenots had to agree that she would not convert her future daughter-in-law, Marguerite de Valois, and the wedding must take place by August 18, 1572. By the beginning of June, the deal was done. As a thank you, Catherine offered to gift Jeanne a pair of custom leather gloves. On June 9, 1572, Jeanne died, from what many believe was the gloves laced with poison. 

The grand wedding on the Parvis of Notre Dame de Paris was held on August 18, 1572, and just six days later, many Protestant guests were killed in the middle of the night. The Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre of August 24, 1572, ordered at midnight from the Louvre by Catherine and her son Charles IX would result in the killing of thousands of Huguenots and the Seine running red from blood. 

Henri III of Navarre became king of France, Henri IV after the death of Henri III on August 2, 1589. Coronated in the Cathedral of Chartres as he was still a Protestant and they wouldn’t allow the event in Notre Dame de Reims. Marriage with Marguerite was difficult, they both had many lovers and the kiss of death was Marguerite not giving the throne the all-important heir. Their marriage was annulled by the Pope in 1599 and Henri IV planned to wed his mistress Gabrielle d’Estrées who had already given him three children with one on the one. 

Henri met Gabrielle in November of 1590 through her cousin who was a nun and mistress of the king. The Vert Galant as he was known for his high sex drive was deeply in love with the blonde beauty and planned to marry her although all his advisors cautioned against it. Just as his marriage to Marguerite was annulled, Gabrielle died. (For more on Gabrielle, listen to a favorite past episode) 

A legitimate heir to the throne was needed and a solution to the debt France was carrying was also solved. The French state owed the Medici banking family more than 600,000 écus. A proposal of marriage between Marie de Medici and the French king would erase the debt as well as come with a dowry of a million écus. A contract was signed in April and on October 5, 1600, the wedding by proxy took place in Florence. Marie’s uncle stood in for the king and a month later she was on the way to meet her new husband. The two wouldn’t meet until December 9, 1600, Henri was busy with a mistress or two for a week in Lyon while Marie waited. 

On September 27, 1601, Louis XIII was born, the first of six children and the next king of France. Henri continued his cavorting ways and Marie was a distant mother leaving the children with others to be raised. Ten years after their wedding on May 13. 1610 Marie de Medici has finally crowned the queen of France after urging Henri to set a date for over nine years. 

In the Basilique Saint-Denis, as Henri IV looked on his wife was crowned, their eight-year-old sold looked on. They could never imagine how quickly everything would change. 

The next afternoon Henri IV left the Palais du Louvre to see his old friend Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully who was ill and at his home in Arsenal. The two men met before the Saint Barthélemy massacre in 1572, Sully was just 13. The two would be close friends and trusted advisor until that fateful day in May. Henri left the Louvre in his carriage and made his way down Rue Saint Honoré. The streets were filled with people and traffic. As the carriage turned onto the Rue de la Ferronnerie, two wagons, one filled with wine and the other with hay blocked the way forcing them to stop. 

At 4 pm on May 14, 1610, François Ravaillac, a Catholic zealot jumped onto the step and reached into the king's carriage with a knife, stabbing him three times between the 2nd and 3rd ribs piercing his heart. The attacker was captured immediately and the king returned to the Louvre. Henri IV died quickly after the attack and was rushed into his bedroom in the Louvre. 

Louis XIII had been at the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit at the edge of the left bank on the Rue des Grands Augustens and advisors rushed to his side as he was now the king of France, even if he was still a child. 

A few days after his death, a wax effigy of the king was created. The life-like image of the king would lay on his bed, wearing a white satin vest and a red velvet nightcap and tucked in like he was simply taking an afternoon nap. The real Henri IV lay beneath the bed in his casket. Twice a day meals would be served before him, at times large tables were set up and the court sat and ate their meals alongside him. The faithful would visit the king in the Salles des Caryatides for three weeks. On July 1, he would finally be interred in the Basilique Saint-Denis, where he had been just the day before his death.  Henri IV was the second king of France in succession to be assassinated. At that moment his son Louis XIII became king, and Marie de Medici was regent until he came of age, or so he thought. 

As for Ravaillac, he was taken to the Conciergerie interrogated and tortured and on May 27, on the Place de Grève, in front of the Hotel de Ville, killed.  Tying each of his limbs to a horse, they would take off and tear him apart. 

Listen to the new episode out now. For more on Marie de Medici, Catherine de Medici, and Gabrielle d’Estrées click on their name to hear each of their specific episodes about their lives. 

Have a person from French history you want to know more about, let me know.

Episode 154- The Cardinals, Playwright and and English King

This week’s episode visits the northern side of the Palais Royal on Rue de Beaujolais, named for the count, not the wine. The son of Louis-Philippe d’Orleans and in the line of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan.  The two had seven children that were later legitimized.  Check out the podcast next week for a bit more on Montespan and her role in the Poisson Affair, but you can also hear her life story in a past episode. 

At no 5 from 1949 to 1965 was the Milord l’Arsouille club that first saw Serge Gainsbourg on stage and later was a song Edith Piaf covered. 

No 9 Colette lived until her death and was often seen being carried down to the Grand Vefour for dinner. 

No 15 Jean Cocteau lived and was often seen in the garden with Edith. 

For Napoleon fans check out the official Napoleon store at number 10 

Right on Rue Vivienne and a short quick left onto rue des Petits Champs is Willi’s Wine Bar, a favorite restaurant that is always fantastic check out their large collection of posters created each year. The first-of-its-kind wine bar that served food opened in 1980 and still going strong. 

The rue Vivien was named for Louis Vivien mayor of Paris in 1599 and the family that owned the portion of land to the east of the Bibliotheque Nationale. Rue Viviene was the first Roman road that went through Paris to Saint-Denis and would have seen the king venturing past from the Palais du Louvre. 

To the left on Rue Viviene was the home of Cardinal Mazarin and just a bit farther Jean-Baptiste Colbert also lived. The original Palais Royal was built by Cardinal Richelieu so the entire area was filled with powerful men steps away from Louis XIII and XIV in the Louvre. Mazarin built the large palace in 1635 to hold his art and books that went to Louis XIV after his death. His book collection is just over the Seine in the Institut de France.  In 1721 the building was turned into the national collection of books and other treasures in the French state. The museum just reopened this last fall after more than 7 years and is fantastic to see. 

At the end of the BNF building is a plaque for Edouard-Léon Scott de Martinville who died April 26, 1879 and invented the typographer and invented the first machine that could record sound 17 years before Edison. His bookshop and home were once on this corner. 

At no 17  Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville was the founder of New Orleans Louisianna and died here on March 7, 1767, 

At the intersection of Vivien and Rue de Quatre-Septembre is the former stock exchange, the Borse which was built in 1808 under Napoleon by Alexandre-Theodore Brongniart. Prior to this, the stock exchange moved around to multiple locations including 7 months from May 10 to December 13, 1795, in the Palais du Louvre.  The stock exchange lasted from November 6, 1826, to November 6 1998, before it moved to just one European location in Belgium. Now it is a rental event space for tradeshows and weddings. 

Just off the side street is a rare example of Revolutionary construction. The Rue des Colonnes was built in 1792 on what was a private road. The 36 doric columns were inspired by the temple of Poseidonia in Greece. In 1826 the Rue de la Bourse cut through and one of the buildings was rebuilt in 1996 but the columns were saved. 

After the Rue de Quatre-Septembre named after the start of the third republic on September 4, 1870, take a left on the Rue de Gramont. 

In 1779 Marin Kreenfelt de Storcks was working on the Almanac of Paris and was frustrated that he couldn’t give a more pinpointed idea of location. At first, he counted street lamps to note an address. When that didn’t work under the dark of night he went out and painted numbers on doors. On Rue de Gramont in the 2e he started on the left side, 1, 2, etc,  and then came back around so the 1 was straight across from the last number on the street 

Gramont changes into Rue Sainte Anne named not for the Sainte and mother of the Virgin Mary but for Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV. The best Asian restaurants in Paris are found on this street and where I stayed on my first trip in 2016. 

Left on Rue de Louvois was named for Francois Michel de Tellier de Louvois minister under Louis XIV who opposed Colbert on many things including how the Affair of the Poisons was handled. 

The square also holds the same name, the Square Louvois which is where the Richelieu opera house once stood from 1794. In 1820 it was the sight of the stabbing and death of the Duc de Berry, son of Charles X who had the opera house destroyed following his beloved son’s death. In 1830 Louis-Philippe commissioned Louis Visconti to create a fountain for the square. Built-in 1844 it represents the four major rivers of France. The Seine, Garonne, Loire, and Saone with each of its own allegory standing over the signs of the zodiac. 

Just around the corner at number 12 rue Chabannais was the Chabannais brothel that was open from 1878 to 1946. Madame Kelly and Alexandre Joannet ruled the street and decorated each room with a different theme. Japanese, Hindu, Louis XV, and Pompeii as well as the large custom copper tub created for Edward VII of England, known in Paris as Dirty Bertie. Bertie even had a custom chair created when he became a bit too large to maneuver relations shall we say?  

The Rue de Richelieu was of course named for the Cardinal, the arch-nemesis of Marie de Medici and who controlled the court of Louis XIII. The street runs to the Louvre and has seen no 92 the first bakery opened by August Zang serving croissants. 

No 56 on the corner of Richelieu and Petite Champs is the oldest building that dates back to 1655. 

At no 50 a young Madame de Pompadour and future love of Louis XV grew up and just down the street at no 40, Moliere died 350 years ago on February 17. 1673. The building that stands dates to 1769 but a plaque marks the spot where the great playwright lived in his final years. 

liere in his signature chair that he sat in on stage in the Comedie Francais. Below are two allegories of La Comedie Serieuse and La Comedie Légère by Jean-Jacques Pradier. Each of the parchments has the full list of the great playwright’s writings. 

At no 26 was the home of Rose Bertin, the first major designer that called Marie Antoinette her number one client. Under MA she even had the first fashion magazine and store just a few steps away in the Passage Potier. 

Click on any of the links to learn more about many of these great women we have covered on the podcast.

Episode 153 - The Bazar of the Charities

For years, a group of charities came together, known as the Bazaar de la Charité. Attracting the elites of society, many of which were women, would end in disaster in 1897. 

Henri Blount, the wealthy son of Edward Charles Blount a former member of Parliament and banker who later invested in the railway which brought them a fortune. Along with Baron de Mackau, son of the Minister of the Navy-owned land around Paris that he would donate for the use of the fateful charity event in 1897. 

The first Bazar was held from 1885 to 1887 on the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honorè. In 1888 and 1890 to 1896 on the Rue de la Boétie and in 1889 at the Place Vendome. On March 20, 1897, Baron Armand de Mackau gave a 263 feet long pine structure on the Rue Jean-Goujon in the 8th arrondissement.

On April 6, 1897 leaders of the charities included the Duchesses of Alençon & Bavaria, and Henriette of Belgium, niece of King Leopold II, and the Duchess of Uzés. Gathering 22 charities the inside of the structure was created with a large central area surrounded by smaller counters for each organization most of which were run by women. Each booth was large enough to hold a dozen ladies 

The 1897 event was going to include the new technology of a Cinematograph by Auguste and Louis Lumière. The first film, 50 seconds in length, debuted on March 22, 1885, but was not seen by the public until December before the brothers took their movies on tour around Europe, New York, London, and Beaunos Aries causing an international sensation. 

Three very short films were shorn on repeat including La Sortie de l’Usine Lumiere de Lyon, L’Arrivée d’un Train et la Ciotat Gare, and L’Arrouser Arrosé. 

On May 3, 1897, the Bazaar de la Charitiés opened its doors. At 4 pm Monseigneor Eugenio Ciari blessed the event and 1600 people flooded into the space. The first day was crowded but the attendees were having a lovely time enjoying the fun, games, and movie. 

On May 4, 1897, 1200 people mostly women and a few men and children filled the event. 

When the projector was installed it was placed in a small room with little ventilation. This was the 19th century and the 35 mm projectors were far more primitive and needed ether to operate the Molteni lamp and burned through it rather quickly. After an hour it needed to be refilled. Surrounding the camera were curtains and were instructed to leave them closed. In the dark M.  Bellac asked for some light to pour the ether. At 4:15 pm Grégoire Bagrachow used a match to give Bellac a bit of light. As soon as the match was lit, the vapers caught fire and ignited the canvas curtains. 

Moments later the Duchess d’Alencon began to cough and could smell smoke in the air. The pine structure with canvas walls and thin wooden tables was a tinder box that burned quickly. Small explosions were heard as the gas lights ignited. Within 12 minutes the entire structure was engulfed in flames. 

There were only two doors leading to the street and women and children were crawling over each other trying to exit. The few men that were there were reported later by eyewitnesses to have pushed women aside in a panic to exit. When the pompiers arrived, 425 in total there was little they could do as the entrances were jammed with people including those that died before they made it out the door. 

This was 1897 when the style of clothing included hoops, petticoats, and endless ruffles all very easy to ignite and engulf a victim in flames. Out the back side of the building, a few small windows led to a courtyard. Women were crawling out the back window where a cook from the Hotel du Palais assisted in pulling 150 victims through the kitchen windows while the screams were heard. Over the next hour, brave souls tried to enter the building to save people but the swift fire was no match. 

The Duchess d’Alencon, one of the event's main organizers and married to the grandson of Louis-Philippe former king of France, remained inside trying to save the ladies. A nun had fallen and was helped by the Duchesse and was heard saying “Oh Madame, what a death” and the Duchesse responded, “Yes, but in a few minutes we will see God”. They were her last words. 

Sophie-Charlotte en Bavière, Duchess d’Alencon was born on February 23, 1847. Her father Maximillian en Bavière & Duchesses Ludovica de Bavière of the House of Wittelsbach in Germany. On September 22, 1868, she married Ferdinand d’Orleans, Duke of Allençon the youngest son of the Duc de Nemours.  Prior to the duke she was engaged to King Louis II of Bavaria in 1867 she discovered he was gay and postponed the wedding. When the war began in 1870 she and her husband and family moved to Paris to 32 Avenue de Frieldlane near the Arc du Triomphe. 

After it was discovered she had a steamy affair with Edgar Hanfstaengl she was sent to a sanatorium in Austria to tackle her sexual desires. For 5 months she was left alone to become the lady she was supposed to be. She returned to Paris in January 1897 just a few months before her death. 

Once the fire was controlled the grisly job of moving and identifying the victims began. The nearby Palis de l’Industrie off the Champs Elysees was used for the 126 bodies recovered, 118 of which were women. Another 250 were injured, many with disfiguring burns. 

The Duchess d’Alencon was found burned in the arms of the Viscountess de Beauchamp. She was identified by the gold bridge in her mouth. Many families weren’t as lucky. A majority of the victims were burned beyond identification. Among the wealthy elite women mostly there were also six nuns. Six children between the ages of 4 and 10, and five men and many young girls not even 20 years old. 

Other notable victims included Camille Moreau-Nelaton. Camille was an artist that began by taking drawing lessons from Auguste Bonheur, brother of Rosa. She went on to become a ceramic artist and painter and exhibited at the Salon numerous times between 1865 to 1881. In 1858 she married Adolphe Moreau-Nelaton, the son of the personal surgeon to Napoleon III. Adolphe was an avid collector of art and passed the love to their son, Etienne Moreau-Nelaton who had one of the most important collections in the Louvre and Orsay today.

Camille was attending with her daughter-in-law and wife of Etienne, Edmée Braun Moreau-Nelaton. Both women were killed in the fire. Etienne never married again and mourned his mother and wife for the rest of his life. 

The Viscountess Bonneval, Marie du Quesne was able to escape the fire but ran back inside to save her friend but was overpowered by the flames and died. Her husband was able to identify her body by her jewelry. 

Jeanne de Kergorlay, Countess de Saint-Périer helped other women escape through a high window until the floor collapsed below her and her instant death, but after she saved a dozen women including her niece. 

Librarian Ellen Blonska was identified by her orthopedic corset under her layers of fabric. 

On May 8, 1897, a national funeral was held in Notre Dame de Paris presided over by Cardinal François Richard de La Vergne. President Felix Faure was in attendance who had thought he lost his mistress Marguerite Steinhal in the fire but she ended up not attending that day.
Around Paris, the endless stream of funerals and processions to the many cemeteries were held in every corner of the city for a week. 

Days after the fire the Baron bought the property and gave it to the city with the intention of building a memorial for the victims. Cardinal Richard began a fund to erect a chapel at the sight and one year later on May 4, 1898, the first stone was laid and two years later on the same day in 1900, the Chapel of Atonement was inaugurated in memory of the victims. More than 86,000 items were pulled from the burned remains and added to the chapel, including a private space reserved for the family alone. 

On February 28, 1899, the city of Paris also created a monument to the “unrecognized victims” in the 92nd division of Pere Lachaise.

The funeral for the Duchess d’Alençon was held in the Saint-Philippe du Roule church on the Rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré. Her coffin was taken to the Chapel Saint Louis in Dreux where members of the Orleans family are buried. 

A lavish tomb in marble of the Duchess created by Louis-Ernest Barrias depicts her after her death laying next to burnt beams in full dress. A little too shocking to visitors it was moved to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dreux and replaced with a new tomb by Charles-Albert Walham in 1912. A few beams are still visible but the Duchess is now laid to rest clutching a cross. 

In 2019 Netflix premiered an eight-episode series, The Bazaar of the Charity, The Bonfire of Destiny in the US featuring Audrey Fleurot. The characters are fictional but the event itself in the first episode is historically accurate. 

Episode 152 - Eugene Delacroix

Eugène Delacroix, the leader of the Romantic Movement was born on  April 26 in 1798. His use of color and light was unnerving to the French artists when he first began but he went on to inspire the Impressionists. 

Born to Victoire Œben who came from a line of cabinetmakers on both sides of her family. Her father Jean-Francois Œben was the favorite cabinetmaker to Louis XV, XVI, and Marie Antoinette. Lawyer and politician Charles Delacroix moved the family from outside of Paris to Bordeaux where he served as Prefect until his early death in 1805. 

Eugène, the family's fourth child, would be just five when he lost his father. Older sister Henriette was born in 1782, brother Charles Henri was born in 1779, and another brother,  Henri, was killed at 23 in Napoleon’s Battle of Friedland. After the early death of his father young Eugène and his mother moved to Paris to live with his sister who had married Raymond de Verninac, a Swedish diplomat who later sat for Jacques-Louis David. 

Eugène attended the Lycee Imperial in Paris, now named the Lycee Louis-le-Grand in the Latin Quarter. His cousin and artist Henri Riesener introduced him to Neo-classical artist Pierre Narcisse Guerin in 1815 who he began to study under. Alongside artists Ary & Henry Scheffer, Léon Cogniet and Théodore Géricault. The next year in March 1816 he enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, still studying under Guerin and also as a copiest in the Musée du Louvre. 

Not the most patient of artists when it came time to wait for the paint to dry before applying the varnish he was often criticized by most of the serious artists of the time. In 1825 a visit to England opened up his creativity with the inspiration of the stage and the written word. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Faust’s Goethe as well as Lord Byron found their way into his art and even gave him opportunities to illustrate books and sheet music. 

While he may have been trained by a Neo-Classical artist he retained little of the values of the style and forged his own path that was also inspired by Géricault, the first king of the Romantic period. 

When Delacroix saw Géricault’s masterpiece Raft of the Medus and even posed for one of the figures he ran through the streets yelling in excitement at what he had seen. It was 1918 and at just 20 years old he had a long career ahead of him.  Ingres who was holding the reins of the Academy tightly clashed with Delacroix and these artists with these nutty ideas that were starting to spread through Paris. Although Romanticism was seen long ago in the 16th century and influenced by Ruebens. 

Like Géricault, Delacroix was painting horses in the 1920s although his paintings of large wild cats are more well-known now. In 1824 his first painting to be submitted to the Salon was a scene of the April 1822 Scene of the Massacre of Scio of the Turks killing the inhabitants of Scio and a major moment in the fight for Greek independence. Since he had not been there he spent his time in the National Library researching Greek costumes to set the scene as accurately as possible. 

His most recognized painting is La Liberté Guidant le Peuple, painted in 1830 for the Salon of 1831 and is now proudly on display in the Musée du Louvre. But let’s rewind quite a bit and see what this painting is all about. 

The timeline of France is marked by more than one Revolution. Most know of the big one that resulted in the beheading of Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI which began in 1789. Four decades later the people would rise up again against the brother of Louis XVI. Charles X had taken the throne after the death of his brother Louis XVIII on September 16, 1824. Things would get worse for Charles in 1830 when on March 18 he dissolved the Parliament and as the press spoke up against him he censored them on July 25. 

On Monday, July 26 more than 50 newspapers were forced to stop the presses. The next morning the owners gathered and vowed to fight back. As the police arrived at the offices of the newspapers to take their presses and newspapers they found the workers waiting and screaming. By the afternoon one by one the editors, owners, journalists, and printers began to march into the center of Paris. The Place Vendome, Place de la Bastille, and the Place du Carrousel saw large crowds of outraged citizens whom the police were no match for. 

On July 28 in front of the Hotel de Ville, the Garde Royal were quickly outnumbered. The angry crowd gathered every cobblestone and projectile to build barricades and also tossed them at the police force. It was at this moment that 32-year-old Eugene Delacroix was just down the way at his studio at 15 Quai Voltaire and was moved to capture this penultimate moment of the Trois Glorieuses Jours. 

Delacroix’s good friend Théodore Gericault just three years earlier painted the monument Raft of the Medusa. The current event painting won plenty of fans and skeptics. History paintings in the lexicon of art were deemed the pinnacle of all art styles but rarely were painted so close to the moment of the event. Delacroix said “If I can’t fight for my country, I will paint for it”, and he did just that. 

For three months he sketched and painted from September 20 to mid-December 1830. An astonishingly quick period to create such a large piece and brought the entire moment to life. Displayed in the Salon of 1831, under the title Scenes de Barricades, it was met with a wide mix of criticism. Many thought the allegorical woman was dirty, displaying her hairy armpit and filthy feet while the nude man and his visible pubic hair were right at eye level. 

The entire scene was one of the lower and upper classes as well as men of all ages united. This was exactly why the Three-day Revolution is marked as such a defining moment in French history as told in art and also remembered by the July Column in the Place de la Bastille. It was the mix of all classes that stood up against the monarchy. While the first Revolution began with the poor vs the monarchy, the July Revolution saw all classes in arms together. 

At the Salon of 1831, the painting was purchased by the State for 3000 francs but it was only briefly displayed in the Musée du Luxembourg. Adolphe Thiers was worried it would inspire another uprising and had it removed and returned to Delacroix in 1832. The painting hid away in the Val d’Oise with his aunt Felicité Riesener until 1848 when it returned to the Luxembourg but hidden away until the 1855 Universal Exhibition when he also had to darken her cap. Special permission had to be obtained for the exhibition and after the painting went back into storage. In 1863 when it was finally returned to the public it was too late for the master to see it hung, the father of the Romantic movement was gone. In 1874 it finally moved to the Salle Mollier of the Louvre where you can still see it today. 

One day another artist, Frederic Bartholdi visited the Louvre and saw our lovely Delacroix Liberty which inspired the design of his very own. Today Delacroix’s well-known painting has been copied onto clothes, reimagined in billboards, inspired other artists to adopt it as their own, and projected onto the side of a plane, and even my beloved Swatch watch. She is brought out every 14 juillet and any other moment of immense French pride and I always smile when I see her. 

In 1832, Delacroix was one of the very few artists invited to visit Morocco and Northern Africa where he had a chance to see firsthand the Orient that would inspire his next period. Most artists were recreating the stories on canvas without every setting foot on the continent but Delacroix was able to even be invited into a harem to sketch the scene few men were able to see. He filed numerous journals and created over 80 paintings including the Women of Algiers in the Apartment that hangs in the Louvre. Picasso went on to coping it numerous times. 

Well known for his large murals in churches, and government buildings he believed artists should devote their time to the large tableaux in public places as that was the way to be remembered. His frescos would be added to the Assemblie National, Palais du Luxembourg, and of course Eglise Saint Sulpice. 

 In 1850 architect Félix Duban who was restoring the Galerie d’Apollon asked Delacroix to paint the center of this grand room. At the time, the only way for an artist to hang in the Louvre was ten years after their death. Delacroix loved the Louvre and dreamed of seeing his paintings hung there; with the paintings of the Galerie d’Apollon, he would fulfill that wish. Friend and author Charles Baudelaire said, “Delacroix was passionately in love with passion, but coldly determined to express passion as clearly as possible” after seeing his finished painting on the ceiling in the Louvre. 

In 1849 he was commissioned to paint the baptismal chapel of Saint Sulpice, before he even started it was changed to the Chapel of the Angels, and given free rein to paint anything he wanted as long as it included angels. The two frescos were painted with the addition of wax added in so that the colors would remain vibrant even a hundred years later. On the left of the chapel Jacob Wrestling the Angel and on the right is Heliodore Expelled from the Temple each was painted directly on the wall and took over ten years to complete from the time it was commissioned. High above is Saint Michel painted on a canvas and added when the frescos were complete. 

Delacroix was never married but he did have a few relationships with married women over the years, many of which were also artists including Eugenie Daltin and Elisa Boulanger. He did have a loyal companion and friend Jenny Le Guillon who he hired in 1835 and she would remain with him until the end of his life. Cooking, cleaning, and caring for the artist who was happiest in front of his easel. 

While painting the frescoes of Saint Sulpice he sent a letter to a friend saying this project would kill him. Sadly he would die after a long illness within two years on August 13, 1863. His funeral was held on 17 August at the St-Germain des Pres church and buried at Père-Lachaise.

 In his will he asked to be buried in the heights of Père-Lachaise in a place somewhat removed, “there will be neither emblem, bust or statue”. The subtle dark volcanic tomb in the shape of a sarcophagus, like the one of Scipio the Roman general and bearing only his name, is understated much like the man.

 In the Jardin du Luxembourg under the shade of the trees pull up one of those green chairs to Jules Dalou’s Monument a Eugene Delacroix dedicated by his supporters in 1890. Topped with a bust of the great artist a short walk from his beautiful work in Saint Sulpice.

Episode 151 - The Restoration of Notre Dame

This past Saturday, April 15 we were able to stand in the shadow of Notre Dame and reflect on the last 860 and also 4 years since a fire threatened to destroy the beloved cathedral. In this week's newest episode of the La Vie Creative - Paris History Avec a Hemingway podcast we share the history as well as the details on the restoration and where we are today. 

When the fire raged 4 years ago, President Macron vowed to have it reopened in just 5 years. While it gave hope to many it was also met with a ton of naysayers that said it couldn’t be done. Well, as we watch today the spire is being rebuilt and we are projected to be back inside on December 8, 2024. 

Let’s venture back to the start first. The birth of Notre Dame de Paris can go back to just one man, Bishop Maurice de Sully. He wanted to create an immense church that would be a gift back to the faithful. The building began in 1161 but the first stone wasn’t laid until 1163. Sometime between March 24 and April 25, 1163, in the presence of Pope Alexander III and Louis VII, 860 years ago. The church was built to be 416 feet long, 131 feet wide, and 109 feet high and today is still the largest in Paris. 

The building continued after Bishop Sully died in 1196. Leaving a large sum of money to finish the roof including 43,000 sheets of lead that melted away on that April evening four years ago. It took until 1345 for the cathedral to be finished and she stood for many years holding mass and events until the Revolution. As the churches were taken over the cathedral became the Temple of Reason and a depot it fell into disrepair. 

On April 18, 1802, Napoleon gave it back to the church and followed it with his coronation but the church was falling apart. Years of neglect had the old girl not looking so great and a Parisian writer decided something should be done about it. Victor Hugo walked over the island regularly and always past the doors of Notre Dame. In 1831 Notre Dame de Paris was released and an outpouring of support rallied around the cathedral. Leaders couldn't turn away and a competition was held for the next architect of Notre Dame. 

Eugene Viollet-le Duc and Jean-Baptiste Antoine Lassus had just finished the restoration of Sainte Chapelle including a complicated spire. When the original plans were revealed Viollet-le-Duc proposed adding two spires to the roof but in the end, only one was created. The spire replaced an original one that stood from the 13th century to 1786, over 500 years. After it was damaged by lightning and a later storm almost destroyed it the spire was removed in 1786. 

The Viollet-le-Duc spire began construction on May 4, 1858, and a year later on June 29, 1859, the rooster was placed on top marking the end of construction. In 1935 the rooster was removed for re-gilding and Cardinal Verdier placed the three precious relics of Paris. A relic of Sainte Genevieve, Saint-Denis, and a piece of the Crown of Thorns, all of which were saved after the rooster fell from the top of the spire in the fire. 

On April 15, 2023, the 4-year anniversary the base of the new spire was put in place and the beginning of the spire will grow from the roof and is projected to be finished by the end of the year. 

The roof was known as the “forest” as it was made up of over 1300 trees, the equivalent of 52 acres. All of them were lost in the fire and within a few weeks 273 donations rolled in for more than enough timber coming from around France. Half of the donations came from private land and the other half from public forests. A team of devoted lumberjacks that know their land well we’re able to quickly find the perfect trees. They needed to be 4 feet wide and at least 88 feet high. Harvesting began within a year with the first tree cut on March 5, 2020, by Daniel Pichon of Pichon Freres. 

One thousand people work on-site every day with one goal in mind. When they are finished a cleaned and shiny version of Notre Dame will return for another 860 years. 

Listen to the newest episode for even more goodies about the beloved cathedral and check out a live video record on April 15, 2023, the anniversary of the fire. 

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