Rock icon Patti Smith expo at Fondation Cartier

Land 250 - called after her first Polaroid camera- shows visual work from this multi-talented artist-performer from the period 1967 to 2007. Her son Jackson plays his guitar and even gives workshops. Find out what and when at the Fondation Cartier. See also their Nomadic nights program with music and poetry.

Fondation Cartier
261, Boulevard Raspail
75014 Paris
until June 22, 2008
see also pattismith.net

Patti Smith à la Fondation Cartier
Uploaded by Art-and-You

French Touche

As a warm-up for the shopping season, you must know about one of the most original and funny shop: French Touche
A Shop-Gallery where you can find great gifts for all those special Aries and Taurus you know, such as bags, jewelry, baby-shower gifts, for men, and home-decoration, lamps etc. But you can also submit your own work of art&craft or music.
You can listen to the tune of the day and buy "chansonpoche". Song in your pocket: specially written song by mainly French artists on a mini-cd in the form and size of a credit card with nice protective covers.
Online shopping or offline @ 1 rue Jacquemont 75017 Paris, Metro line 13 La Fourche.

Blog of the Week: Ivy Gallery

Ivy Paris started as an exposition held by 5 artists back in 2004 and is still alive and kicking bringing us cultural news, in English, from the underground in their Paris artist network blog.

The gallery is at  25 Keller gallery, Bastille, Paris

Digital art for International Women's Day

Maybe not specially made for International Women's Day (March 8) but it is an appropriate gift anyway. Digital Art made by Philip Scott Johnson with music from Bach interpreted by Yo-Yo Ma.

source: www.artgallery.lu

Pamela Anderson au Crazy Horse

Vous vous souvenez que la très belle Arielle Dombasle s'est effeuillée au célèbre cabaret le Crazy Horse au mois de février 2007? Lui a précédé la somptueuse Dita Von Teese et maintenant c'est au tour de Pamela Anderson et oui la superbe naïade californienne au maillot rouge!

Elle y sera le 13 et 14 février 2008, donc très bientôt.
Elle devrait exécuter un strip-tease sur la chanson de Brigitte Bardot, "Je n'ai besoin de personne en Harley Davidson". Alors les petits chanceux qui habitent en Ile-de-France, dépêchez-vous d'aller réservez vos place et ramenez-nous des photos!

Do you remember the beautiful Arielle Dombasle dancing in the famous Crazy Horse cabaret in February 2007? The sumptuous Dita Von Teese preceded her and now it is Pamela Anderson's turn! Yes, the most famous red swimming suit!

She will be on the 13th and the 14th of February 2008.
She should perform a striptease on the Brigitte Bardot song, "I don't need anyone in Harley Davidson" (Je n'ai besoin de personne en Harley Davidson). So please fortunate poeple living in Ile-de-France, hurry up and reserve your spot! Please bring us pictures!

Paris in Color

On the occasion of the centenary of the Autochrome commercialization of the first industrial process for color photography invented by the Lumiere brothers, the exhibition in Paris reveals the colors to the public 300 photographs of the capital.

Taken between 1907 and today, these color images are the work of well-known photographers.

Witnesses artistic transformation of the city they retrace at the same time the adventure of color photography.

Where?
Salle Saint-Jean de l’Hôtel de Ville
5 rue Lobau 75004 Paris

When & How much?
From 4 Dec. 4th 2007 to March 31st 2008
Free entrance, everyday except Sundays and bank holidays : From 10am to 7pm

La Tour Eiffel a vendre...enfin une partie

Un tronçon d'escalier de la Tour Eiffel, estimé entre 15.000 et 20.000€, doit être mis aux enchères aujourd'hui à Paris à l'hôtel des ventes Drouot.

Il provient d'un escalier gravi par Gustave Eiffel le 31 mars 1889 pour hisser le drapeau français à 300 mètres d'altitude, quand les ascenseurs ne fonctionnaient pas encore.

Cet escalier, dernier escalier hélicoïdal d'origine reliant le deuxième au troisième étage de la tour, avait été découpé en 24 morceaux, dont vingt avaient été vendus le 1er décembre 1983 aux enchères et acquis par des particuliers pour la somme globale de 1,8 million de francs (280.000€).

L'un des morceaux restants est conservé au premier étage de la Tour et les trois autres ont été offerts à des musées français.

L'hôtel des ventes a précisé que la pièce mise aux enchères lundi mesurait 4,5 mètres de hauteur et pesait plus de 700 kilos.

Via Yahoo! Actualités

Biggest Art Market in Paris

The Bastille creative art market takes place on boulevard Richard Lenoir, every Saturday of the year from 10am to 7pm.

Painters, sculptors and designers are there to welcome you and to show and promote their work. If you enjoy collecting or simply admiring arts and crafts and for everyone who is looking for something original, the Bastille arts and crafts market is for you!

This is a cool opportunity because the Art Market is not far at all from the Le Quartier Bastille, Le Faubourg.

Metro Station-> Bastille

Good-bye Mr. Marceau

Saturday night, the Mime Marceau, known also as Marcel Marceau passed away at 84 years old. Here are facts to better know him...
He was a well-known mime artist, among the most popular representatives of this art form world-wide. After having seen Charlie Chaplin, he became interested in acting. After the war, he enrolled as a student in the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris, Marceau's performance won him such acclaim that he was encouraged to present his first "mimodrama". The acclaim was unanimous and Marceau's career as a mime was firmly established.
In 1947, Marceau created "Bip", the clown, who in his striped pullover and battered, beflowered silk opera hat — signifying the fragility of life — has become his alter-ego.
Mime Marceau inspired Michael Jackson's moonwalk and was idolized in Japan and Russia.
He performed all over the world in order to spread the "art of silence". The French Government conferred upon Marceau its highest honor, making him an "Officier de la Légion d'honneur" and many other awards.

A quarter million dollars photo!

Aaaaahhh Paris...love! Isn't this photo any photographer's dream?
Here is the story.

Robert Doisneau is a French photographer noted for his frank and often humorous depictions of Parisian street life.
Among his most recognizable work is "Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville" ("Kiss by the Hotel de Ville"), a photo of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris. Who the couple were was a mystery until in 1993 Denise and Jean-Louis Lavergne took him to court for taking the picture without their knowledge. This action forced Doisneau to admit that he actually posed the shot in 1950 using actor/models Françoise Bornet and her then boyfriend Jacques Carteaud.
Frenchman Doisneau was working on a photo spread about Paris lovers for Life magazine when he spotted the couple near the school where they were studying theatre.
Romantics like to believe the young lovers were captured in a spontaneous moment of bliss, but the pose was staged.

In an interview in 1992, Doisneau said: "I would have never dared to photograph people like that. Lovers kissing in the street, those couples are rarely legitimate."
The image stayed in the archives of the photo agency where Doisneau worked for more than 30 years before it was snapped up by a poster company.
Françoise was given an original print as part of her payment.

The photo's success as a poster sparked controversy with several couples claiming they were the subjects. In 1992, one couple even went on television to stake their claim to a piece of Doisneau's fame. After more than 40 years in obscurity, Mrs Bornet surfaced and met Doisneau. She showed him the original print - which bears the photographer's authentic signature and stamp - which he had sent her just a few days after the shoot. Mrs Bornet and her boyfriend did not stay together.

In April 2005 she sold the print for 155,000 € at an auction.

Bretagne quand tu nous tiens

La Bretagne est à Paris et oui Mesdames et Messieurs!
Vous ne le saviez pas? Et bien moi non plus et voilà donc quelques explications.
La Breizh Touch se déroule du 20 au 23 septembre sur les Quais du Jardin Tino Rossi, dans le 5e arrondissement. Au programme la criée à l'ère du numérique, des rencontres avec professionnels et artistes, des concerts, danses, contes...
Allez faire un petit tour sur le site du festival, détail intéressant: les articles sont en breton et français.
Ne manquez surtout pas la très attendue Breizh Parade qui défilera entre le rond-point des Champs-Elysées et la Concorde, à midi le 23 septembre avec 3000 musiciens et danseurs traditionnels.
A vos t-shirts rayés et n'oubliez pas vos crêpes! Bon ok je sais, c'était un peu facile mais je n'ai pas pu résisté.

Une parade techno et ecolo!

La Techno Parade est de retour et cette année, elle se met au vert.

En effet dans le souci de préserver l’environnement et la planète, la Techno Parade prend des mesures pour sensibiliser la population à cette réalité, qui préoccupe tous les esprits:
- moins de flyers en amont de la manifestation,
- tri sélectif des déchets le long du parcours avec Eco-emballages et la Direction de l’Environnement de la Mairie de Paris,
- sonos mieux réglées sur les chars,
- établissement d’un Bilan carbone à l’issue de la parade, avec compensations des émissions CO2 auprès d’Action Carbone, projet développé par Yann-Arthus Bertrand

Le 15 septembre, à partir de midi place de la Bastille!!

Venez découvrir les coulisses de la RATP

Lors des Journées Européenes du Patrimoine, la RATP ouvre exceptionnellement son grand casting d'auditions au public.
Vous savez ces musiciens qui jouent dans le métro, ils ne sont pas là par hasard. Ils ont été préalablement auditionnés pour garder les meilleurs d'entre eux (oui oui un peu comme Star Ac') et cela pour le plaisir de nos oreilles.
Pendant tout le week-end, les curieux pourront découvrir qui sont ces musiciens accrédités par le métro, assister aux auditions mais aussi s'inscrire pour participer au casting. Et oui c'est gratuit!
Parmi les nombreuses activités proposées par la RATP, vous pourrez partir à la découverte de Paris à bord d'un bus des années 60, et visiter un bus à impériale.

Maison de la RATP, 189 rue de Bercy - 75012 Paris

Samedi 15 et dimanche 16 septembre de 11h à 13h30 et de 14h30 à 17h

Source: ICI
Merci à manu_le_manu pour la photo

Festival des Arenes de Montmartre, Paris

Du 20 août au 09 septembre 2007, sous le ciel étoilé de fin d’été, venez partager un moment privilégié de théâtre. Réunissant théâtre de tréteaux, commedia dell’arte et spectacle forain, le 8ème Festival Itinérant des Arènes de Montmartre investit une nouvelle fois des lieux insolites pour le bonheur des grands et des petits..
Le festival s’accompagne comme chaque année de scènes ouvertes avec de nombreuses compagnies de théâtre de rue.
Sur la Place Sainte-Marthe (10ème), se dérouleront des ateliers de théâtre pour enfants et un stage international de Commedia dell’ Arte pour adultes.

8ème Festival Itinérant des Arènes de Montmartre
Tréteaux Nomades
Du 20 août au 09 septembre 2007

Article en entier, ICI
Plus d’info, ICI

KEBAB+INTERNET+LUCK=RAP STAR

A kebab vendor is creating the buzz in France! His name is Lil' Maaz, known as DJ Kebab and he is turning the music business upside down!

How the story began: a guy works in a kebab restaurant in the 18th district in Paris and he sings all day long while serving his customers. One of the customers is an employee for a studio recording, EMC, very nearby.

The rap rhythm and the lyrics intrigued the customer immediately and he decided to record a video, which also featured the restaurant’s other regulars.

Thanks to Internet and a lot of luck, the buzz spread. Now the kebab vendor has become a real rap star in France! For sure nobody could have predicted something like that, and especially not all a major record company!

Lil' Maaz used to sell dry biscuits in the streets of Turkey and now his video has been viewed thousand and thousand times.

Here are some selected lyrics:
"Hello my friend! I was born in Turkey and I have 8 brothers and 2 sisters. When I was little I sold dry biscuits in the street (...) Later on, I arrived to Paris and Oh La La, the French language it was not easy, but I worked hard and now I am well! I like much my new country but I do not forget my history, my culture and the love of the kebab! (...) Me I prefer, it’s to sing all day, when I put white sauce, ketchup, salad, tomatos, onions and the harissa. (...) My friend if you are hungry "Have a Break, Have a Greek!"

Lil’ Maaz is the American French dream coming true!

His website
His MySpace
His blog
YouTube video