Beth Arnold

Letter From Paris: Let The Saints Come Marching In

Crossposted at the HuffPost.com. Comments not included here.

This week has been unsettling for both the Lone Wolf and me.  I may be an antennae that picks up the energy of people all around me while he spends more time ignoring them, but we've both been distracted by "interesting" things that have been happening to our daughters in the U.S. (More about that another day.)  Lone Wolf and I definitely have telepathy, but in this case of feeling unsettled, disturbed, devitalized--whatever it was that was troubling us--our feelings were transferring back and forth as well. 

Though it's not perfect, we both love the new chez nous.  The additional space, and charming as all get out, feels luxurious.  But it's also true that even with the pleasure of new discoveries, we still don't feel attached to our new neighborhood.  We feel disoriented and out of place somehow.

So this morning we set out to meet some of our neighbors--at Pere Lachaise.  Being right on top of things as we usually are (hahahahaha), we remembered it was Halloween.  Our friend Mario mentioned something about it being a holiday weekend--although we hadn't really paid attention or thought about what that was.  But we headed over to the beautiful cemetery with full intentions of saying hey to Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and others.  What better companions could we have?  If the 20th is good enough for them to reside eternally, then it certainly should work for us.

As soon as we saw the gates, we noticed tons of people were pouring in and out, single or in groups, carrying pots of mums and bouquets of luscious roses.  Aha, I told L.W.  It's All Saints Day tomorrow.  (This occurred to me because I have always wanted to be in Mexico for big Day of the Dead festivities.  I think this idea only makes sense, and how wonderful to celebrate the lives of our loved ones where they're planted in the earth by bringing the treats they liked the most.) In my experience in the U.S. of A ., once people are dead, they're d.e.a.d.  We avoid this subject with our every breath and determinedly try to ignore this most unpleasant of facts of life.  We would never dream of having a celebration in a cemetery.

...The origin of the festival of All Saints as celebrated in the West dates to May 13, 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs....The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741) of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to November 1.^[3]

...A November festival of all the saints was already widely celebrated on November 1 in the days of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in 835, by a decree of Louis the Pious, issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops", which confirmed its celebration on November 1. The octave was added by Pope Sixtus IV (1471—1484).

...In Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain people bring flowers to the graves of dead relatives.

                                                                         ---Wikipedia

Since I had decided to embark on the occasional "Meet The Neighbors" column for this blog, it was the perfect weekend to begin.  As I said, my original thought was to say hello to Oscar Wilde and Misses Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, but that changed for reasons which you will soon understand.

We came upon Édith Piaf's grave.  There was a crowd around, of course, and a blonde woman rather thick around the middle (fan or relative?) had laid flowers on top of the marble tomb.  She was cutting and arranging them, while Piaf herself was singing from some portable player that I couldn't see.  I noticed the flower arranger had put a tray of what looked like ground beef on the ground to the left of the tomb.  Was it for the cats who live in the cemetery?  For Piaf?  Or to attract good spirits to the beloved singer?

Paris Art Market Buzz

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By columnist Paul Paradis, Art Historian, Specialist Consultant in French Furniture and Decorative Arts

A Stroll to the FIAC

The Foire international d'art contemporain (FIAC) seemed to be the art happening in Paris this past week.  It is the Paris rival to the younger London Frieze Art Fair and generates a lot of press every year.  The historic Grand Palais housed the main exhibition while the Cours Carrée at the Louvre hosted a smaller portion of the event.  Although contemporary art (defined by most auction houses and ArtPrice.com as works emerging since World War II) is not really my thing, I decided to attempt the FIAC as a way to keep abreast of trends.  Let me qualify that.  The actual term “contemporary art” as defined here strikes me as much too broad and does not take into account the diversity of styles and periods.  The following experience strengthened this impression.

Saturday was a rainy morning and I mistakenly left the house without an umbrella. Upon arriving at the Grand Palais, I saw that the queue of people waiting to enter was huge and growing by the second.  My first surprise: the event seems to attract a large following despite its steep €28 entry fee and intimidating über-trendy attitude.  Nostalgia of the spectacular pre-sale exhibition of the Yves Saint Laurent- Pierre Berger collection last February (also held at the Grand Palais) seeped into my mind as I contemplated how to bypass the long line.  The rain began to fall harder so I decided to abandon ship. The next day, while clearly under the influence of a caffeine buzz and nicer weather, I decided to make attempt number two.  Arriving at the venue, I noticed that the line was even longer. Entire families with baby carriages and whining toddlers were braving the long wait of perhaps several hours. What had I missed?  Feeling frustrated (and slightly relieved) yet again, I instead decided to have a look at the Tuileries gardens where several larger installation pieces and sculptures were featured as part of the overall event. 

La maison témoin d’Elvis, Alexandre Perigot 2005

I entered the Tuileries from the side gate on Rue de Rivoli and immediately noticed a large structure of tubular steel scaffolding constructed into the shape of a house.  A plaque revealed that the monumental work is entitled La maison témoin d’Elvis (Elvis’ model house), and is by Alexandre Perigot (b.1959).  The installation is certainly unusual and suited to an outdoor environment, but the allusion to Elvis is decidedly beyond my comprehension. 

Obamarifix: The Lieberman Sampler

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In the News of the World, President Barack Obama has made a surprise visit to former Vice President Al Gore in Nashville, Tennessee.  Our sources tell us that the subject of discussion for the two Nobel-winning American leaders will be Senator Joe Lieberman, Gore's vice-presidential running mate in his losing bid against George W. Bush.

 

Letter From Paris: Old Masters & Young Turks

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Autumn is traditionally a busy time in France, and this fall term is no exception.  It is the season to work hard and cultivate oneself, and Paris is filled with divine exhibitions.  Tout Paris is talking about what shows they are going to or have already seen. 

Lone Wolf and I did double duty at the Grand Palais on Wednesday, seeing the De Byzance à Istanbul Un port pour deux continents and Renoir au XX^e siècle.  We adored the first, which was full of gorgeous and intricate splendors and shown beautifully as if one is in the ancient palaces and sumptuous tents where the objects were used.  Oh, the chanting and the changing of the Istanbul domes!

We enjoyed the Renoir, but it didn't have as much zing as we had hoped.  Renoir was a hero to many of the younger artists of his days who were inspired by the old master.  Several Picassos were included.  We only found one Matisse.  I love Renoir--thought I'm not in love with his work--and the exhibit didn't give the artist the blast into the 21st Century that the curators promoted.  The Wolf and I have seen Renoir's charming house in Cagnes-sur-Mer, which would be a dream to live in, as well as his museum in Madame Renoir's home town of Essoyes in Champagne.  The lives of artists never cease to fascinate us. 

Grand Palais

***            

Obamarifix: Dick Cheney...Let The Fear Prevail!

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In news of the world:

Retired General Paul Eaton, senior adviser to the National Security Network, has hit back hard at Dick Cheney a day after the former vice president criticized the Obama administration again for "dithering while America's armed forces are in danger."

In an NSN press release:

The record is clear: Dick Cheney and the Bush administration were incompetent war fighters. They ignored Afghanistan for 7 years with a crude approach to counter-insurgency warfare best illustrated by: 1. Deny it. 2. Ignore it. 3. Bomb it. While our intelligence agencies called the region the greatest threat to America, the Bush White House under-resourced our military efforts, shifted attention to Iraq, and failed to bring to justice the masterminds of September 11.

The only time Cheney and his cabal of foreign policy 'experts' have anything to say is when they feel compelled to protect this failed legacy. While President Obama is tasked with cleaning up the considerable mess they left behind, they continue to defend torture or rewrite a legacy of indifference on Afghanistan.

                                                        ---HuffingtonPost.com

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney appears to be at it again to return the United States to the State of Bushintology where it resided for eight miserable years. 

A bystander also reportedly said that he heard Mr. Cheney whisper to his daughter, "Liz, we can get control back!  Let the fear prevail!"

 

Paris Art Market Buzz

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By columnist Paul Paradis, Art Historian, Specialist Consultant in French Furniture and Decorative Arts

Note from Beth Arnold:  Paul Paradis will be a regular columnist for BethArnold.com, where he will continue to tantalize us with his weekly editions of Paris Art Market Buzz.  Please welcome him to your regular reading pleasures and with your comments!

Joseph Commode Act III: An Illustrious Bidder Revealed

The Journal des Arts finally revealed the identity of the unhappy bidder, as well as the reasons for the situation in their last edition of 16 October. As the paper is bi-weekly, the news just broke last Friday. He just happens to be one of the most important collectors of 18^th century French furniture for the past decades, the Iranian businessman living in Paris, Djahanguir Riahi. The paper explains that both Christie’s and Sotheby’s have run into trouble with the “ninetyish” late payer.  Christie’s New York organized the now mythical sale of a part of his exquisite collection in November 2000 as a way to collect on debts from other unpaid lots.

Royal commode from the Riahi Collection, sold for $ 4,626,000 in November 2000. (Photo: Christie's Images)

More recently, he won the bid on an extremely rare transitional commode console by Jean-Henri Reisener for € 3.9 million at Sotheby’s Paris in October 2007, but was forced to forfeit the lot to the under bidder when he could not come up with the funds.  

Letter From Paris: The Little Black Dress in The Palais Royal

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I can't think of any better place than the Palais Royal to have an exhibition for the ever chic little black dress.  And that's just what you'll currently find if you walk down the rue de Montpensier arcade of the former palace of Cardinal Richelieu.  You remember the late cardinal.  He plays the ultimate villain in Alexandre's Dumas' The Three Musketeers, which is one of the best action-adventure tales in the history of literature.  Not to mention the factual part that Richelieu played in the chronicles of France that Dumas drew upon.

The handsome Palais Royal has quite a story:

Originally, the palace was the home of Cardinal Richelieu. He hired the architect Jacques Lemercier to design it. It was completed in 1629. During the lifetime of the cardinal, the palace was known as the Palais-Cardinal. Upon his death in 1642, Richelieu bequeathed his lavish residence to the French Crown. After Louis XIII died, it became the home of the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, her advisor, Cardinal Mazarin, and her young sons, King Louis XIV and Philippe, duc d'Anjou.

Imagine the parties with aristocratic ladies dressed in their own versions of the little black dress over the centuries.  For example, Anne of Austria, pictured above.

Today the arcades surrounding the Palais's famous garden are lined with brands like Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney as well as ultimate vintage fashion merchant Didier Ludot.

Letter From Paris: The Building That Grew Up Around The Tree (and other stories)

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Parisians have been enjoying a glorious fall.  Leaves are turning into golden airplanes that sail to the ground on wisps of wind blowing through town.  The sun has graced those hungry for its shining rays, though the temperature has dropped and many of us have been fettered with colds. 

French farmers have taken advantage of this good weather by setting bales of hay on fire to protest their growing debt and slumping grain prices, most notably on the busy Champs-Elysees.  If only I'd seen this!  The good fall weather has also been used to great advantage by alleged double-murderer Jean-Pierre Treiber, who escaped from prison last month hidden in a cardboard box and is cavorting around France unhindered, to the dismay of the authorities.  The accomplished woodsman has placed himself in something of a "Robin Hood: The Reality Show" niche, and he has reportedly sent letters to his girlfriend and media organizations extolling the joys of living in the wood:

"...At the moment I am in a very beautiful forest, I think all the different species of trees are here and it's really very lovely," Treiber wrote to his girlfriend. "It is nice with the mist and the deer and the boar."

                                                              ---The Guardian

He signed them "Jean Jean of the woods." 

Back at new chez moi, which I must name, the news of the day is that I'm trying to pull the decor of our new home together.  I'd like to report a successful trip to the puce--the flea market--at the Porte de Vanves.  I met up with American friend Mario, Swedish friend Andreas, and new British friend Paul, and we jumped on the Metro and climbed up the stairs to a perfect fall day.  Unbelievably, the market wasn't even crowded. 

Dog on Cards at Porte de Vanves

Paris Art Market Buzz

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By guest columnist Paul Paradis, Art Historian, Specialist Consultant in French Furniture and Decorative Arts

The Joseph Commode : Dénouement

“Joseph millionnaire!” screams the headline to the auction results section in this week’s Gazette de l’Hôtel Drouot, the official weekly magazine of the institution, obviously referring to the final price tag of € 1 672 920 for the commode.  It explains that since the piece received its certificate of free passage (a government requirement for works of art priced over € 50 000 and/or over 100 years old) it benefited from the interest of five European bidders.  When the French authority (DMF) denies the passport for a work of art on the grounds that it is of historic importance or a national treasure, it can be the kiss of death at auction.  It is one of several ways the French (rightly) keep an eye on the export of important national heritage.  Not surprisingly, the Gazette does not mention the scenario of the ignored bidder, but reminds the reader of the attributes of the commode, as well as its pedigree from the collection of a mysterious Yves de M.  (I failed to mention this last week but don’t find it particularly helpful.)

Obamarifix: What Happened To Olympia Snowe After The Vote

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine broke party ranks Tuesday to vote in favor of the Senate Finance Committee’s healthcare reform bill – giving Democrats their first GOP vote for reform in either the House or Senate.

                                                      ---CSMonitor.com

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama took a moment to have a cup of coffee together and dish.  For the inquiring minds who want to know...: