Ancient France was a pagan kind of a place. Think Druidic rituals in forests (if you’ve read Astérix, you’ll well picture this) and Celtic chants around bonfires. And then along came King Clovis I, in the fifth century, who decided to convert to Christianity. One way in which he, and various other powers-that-be, successfully converted […]
Haute Culture
Where to See Art Nouveau in Paris
Art Nouveau (“new art”) was an ornamental design movement that flourished in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. It enjoyed mainstream appeal for only around a decade, but its impact was forceful — it was a direct contrast to, and defiance of, the classicism that had kept Paris aesthetically in line for the […]
Romantic Paris: Two Exquisite New Exhibitions
Before Paris became a city of romance, where misty-eyed lovers could stroll hand-in-hand along beautiful boulevards or lock lips on the city’s graceful bridges, it was the city of Romanticism. In the first half of the nineteenth century, Paris was not yet the City of Light, but rather a dark place, still medieval in design, […]
A Night at the Museum: the Paris Edition
This Saturday is Nuit Européenne des Musées, and most of Paris’s museums will be rolling out the red carpet, offering free entry and, in some case, entertainment too — such as the acrobatic dancer Yoann Bourgeois performing at the Grand Palais. Click here for all the information. But did you know that many Parisians museums […]