Between concerts and restaurants, Mademoiselle Bon Plan also visits exhibitions and museums. Here is a small selection of cool exhibitions and unique museums to visit in Paris.
This selection is the first in a new series dedicated 100% to exhibitions, museums, and art, which I hope will become a regular feature on the blog.
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Designer Frimousses at the Théâtre du Châtelet
“Designer Frimousses” is not an exhibition in the traditional sense. It is an operation that has been running for over ten years to raise funds for UNICEF France. Designers, artists, and jewelers create works around a specific theme, which are then auctioned off.
This year, they are offering dolls based on the theme of the Opera. The event is being held at the Théâtre du Châtelet and will help fund important child vaccination campaigns in the Darfur region.
Even if you cannot afford to purchase one of these original creations, come and admire them (for free!!!) at the Théâtre du Châtelet. It will be your way of supporting the operation.
For my part, I fell in love with the dolls I am presenting below. Hover your mouse over them to discover the name of their creator!
Hurry! The Designer Frimousses exhibition is on until November 23rd, and the auction will be held on November 24th.
Table of Contents
Designer Frimousses
Free exhibition until November 23, 2014
Théâtre du Châtelet
1, place du Châtelet
75001 Paris
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The Musée des Plans-reliefs
The museum of what? Yes, I know, I had the same reaction at first. But stay, stay, I’m going to explain everything about this absolutely fascinating museum.
A plan-relief is a model. The French collection was born in 1668, under the impetus of Louis XIV. This three-dimensional method of representation was used to represent fortification projects and prepare for war. Very practical before satellite photos and Google Earth!
The museum is divided into two rooms. In the first room, you will discover the manufacturing techniques of these plans-reliefs. Everything was, of course, handmade. Given the dimensions of the models (some are 50 m2), I’ll let you imagine how much time they took.
In the second room, make way for the plans-reliefs. The one of Bayonne, from the early 19th century, is 56 m2. Impressive! The meticulousness of the models is breathtaking. Everything is represented: fields, trees, mills… Our cities have really changed.
My favorite plan-relief is that of the Mont Saint-Michel, created by a monk whose name has been lost to the ages. It is said that he represented himself on the model. I think I caught a glimpse of him…
I think it is an ideal museum to take children to. Kids can walk around the models, which are at their height. Plus, the museum is not too big; it has about thirty models.
Note: The museum offers workshops for children.
On the agenda: “In the time of fortresses,” “In the time of citadels,” etc., where children build their own model. All activities can also be booked for birthday parties. I want to build my own model too!!!
The pro tip: Adult visitors are not forgotten. Take advantage of free guided discovery tours by presenting an entry ticket to the Musée des Invalides, which is also free for those under 18 and for those under 26 residing in the European Union.
You will find all the details and practical information on their website.
Musée des Plans-Reliefs
Rates: €9.50 / €7.50 / free for under 26s in the EU, the unemployed, and RSA recipients
Hôtel National des Invalides
75007 Paris
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Feast of Saint Barbara
Since we are talking about the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, I’ll take the opportunity to announce a nice and free event at the Army Museum (which doesn’t hurt): the Feast of Saint Barbara.
Indeed, the cannons will thunder on the upcoming December 6th and 7th in the main courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides to celebrate the patron saint of artillerymen.
On the program, a presentation of several cannon maneuvers, from the Empire to today, led by artillerymen in period costumes. The opportunity to see the spectacular evolution of weaponry and discover the artillery used by the “poilus” (WWI soldiers), echoing the exhibition “Seen from the Front. Representing the Great War,” currently presented at the museum.
Army Museum
Hôtel des Invalides
Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7, 2014
Free event
129 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris
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Hokusai at the Grand-Palais
Even if the name of this Japanese artist doesn’t mean much to you, I bet you know his most famous works like the wave, the poster for the exhibition.
The journey, designed in 2 parts due to the fragility of certain works, follows the chronology of the artist’s long life (1760-1849) and presents more than 500 exceptional pieces, a large part of which have never left Japan. The exhibition is a reflection of his work: rich and varied.
We discover both painted scrolls on silk (the sublime kakemono) and colored prints and book illustrations.
The opportunity to dream in front of landscapes, but also to laugh, because Hokusai did not lack humor, as proven for example by his “Lecherous Hermit Kume,” a print from the 1805-1810 period.
Do not miss the film at the end of the ground floor, which shows all the virtuosity of the engraver artisans. On the 1st floor, you will admire his most famous works, often in series, like the “Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji.” An explosion of colors, with fabulous blues.
If I were Arsène Lupin… I would slip the Bullfinch on Weeping Cherry tree (1834 print) under my coat.
One can dream… And you? Tell us all about it!
Note:
The Grand Palais offers multiple educational and cultural activities, both free and paid, around the exhibition:
- A lecture on Hokusai and manga, Wednesday, December 17, 6:30 PM, at the Champs-Elysées auditorium (free)
- A two-voice guided tour, with a lecturer and a Japanese language specialist, Wednesday, December 10, 7 PM (€22)
Hokusai Exhibition
From October 1 to November 20, 2014
then from December 1, 2014 to January 18, 2015
Rates: €13 / €9 / free for under 16s
Grand Palais
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower – 75008 Paris
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Niki de Saint Phalle at the Grand Palais
The other major exhibition at the moment at the Grand Palais is the retrospective of Niki de Saint Phalle.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t absolutely thrilled at the idea of going to see this exhibition, and yet, thanks to the lecturer’s explanations, I left enchanted and, above all, with a totally different vision of the work of this woman, whose life was ultimately quite eventful.
In short, you must run to discover the committed artist, feminist, and somewhat neurotic woman that Niki de Saint Phalle was!
Niki de Saint Phalle Exhibition
From September 17, 2014 to February 2, 2015
Sunday and Monday 10 AM – 8 PM
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10 AM – 10 PM
Rates: €13 / €9 / free for under 16s
Grand Palais
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower – 75008 Paris
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L’Éclat des ombres (The Sparkle of Shadows) at the Musée du quai Branly
Ready for a journey to the heart of the Pacific Ocean? The Solomon Archipelago, northeast of Australia, includes 900 islands and islets rich in great cultural diversity.
Nevertheless, there is a certain unity in the colors: white, black, and red, hence the exhibition’s subtitle: Black and white art of the Solomon Islands.
For the islanders, there was an invisible world, just as important as the visible one. It was therefore necessary to ensure the protection and benevolence of the spirits of the deceased and supernatural powers.
The sparkle of the objects precisely displays the presence of these invisible beings. The spirits manifested themselves in particular through ornaments made of precious materials, such as mother-of-pearl.
Ornaments serve just as much to seduce the living as the shadows. The exhibition presents ear ornaments, but also nasal ornaments. The one above on the right is more aesthetic than current piercings, don’t you think?
Naturally, the sea plays a very important role for the inhabitants of the Solomon Islands. It is therefore necessary to protect oneself against the malevolent spirits that inhabit the waters. The canoes are therefore decorated with figureheads, represented in large numbers in the exhibition.
To guarantee the success of sea expeditions, objects representing the power of benevolent spirits are also placed in the canoes, such as this shell “charm,” below on the left.
In houses too, the supernatural powers of spirits are attracted by placing anthropomorphic sculptures. The one above on the right is very small, but it apparently had great powers…
On land, in the canoe sheds, reliquaries are placed. The one below contains a human skull…
Connecting to the invisible, the art of the Solomon Islands reveals a world that may seem far from us, but which touches us through the simplicity of its beauty.
L’Éclat des ombres at the Musée du quai Branly
From November 18, 2014 to February 1, 2015
Rates: €9 / €7 / free for under 26s in the EU, the unemployed, and RSA recipients, every 1st Sunday of the month
37 Quai Branly
75007 Paris
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The Myth of Courtesans at the Maxim’s museum
I admit, I had never stepped through the doors of this discreet museum a stone’s throw from the Concorde. The Maxim’s museum is an apartment entirely furnished and decorated in Art Nouveau style over two floors, thanks to the fabulous collection of Pierre Cardin.
Personally, I love collections presented in situ, which allow for a journey through time. Here, the visitor is plunged into 1900. We wander from room to room, admiring pieces signed by prestigious designers such as Majorelle and Gallé.
The “Myth of Courtesans” exhibition evokes the life of those who, in their time, symbolized beauty and made headlines. I particularly appreciated the bedrooms, which the beauties seem to have just left… perhaps for a romantic date?
The evening gowns presented are sumptuous. I could easily see myself in the sublime red and black dress. How do you like it?
Note: you can combine the visit with lunch at Maxim’s. It’s a great gift idea, I think.
The Myth of Courtesans Exhibition
from Friday, November 7, 2014 to Sunday, March 29, 2015
Rates: €15
Maxim’s Museum
3, rue Royale – 75008 Paris
http://www.maxims-musee-artnouveau.com/
article written by Sandrine and Melle Bon Plan
