My Surprise Encounter with a French Paparazzo & Photojournalist

La Grande Arche

Or, Just Because You Have Impostor Syndrome Doesn’t Mean You’re Not a Fake An often overlooked site when visiting Paris is La Grande Arche de La Défense, located in a stylish business district just beyond the city limits. Starting from the city center, the most efficient route to La Défense…

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Théophile Gautier’s Petulant Rats of the Paris Opera

Ballet at the Paris Opéra, Edgar Dégas

Last week I wrote about Edgar Degas’ most renowned sculpture, La Petite danseuse de quatorze ans. Degas’ portrayals of 19th-century dancers give us a window into the lives of young female professionals—a circumstance that was exceedingly rare. Referred to as rats, these budding ballerinas played a secondary and less desirable…

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Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer and the Artifice of Virtue

Bronze copies of Degas' wax dancers

I clearly remember my first exposure to Edgar Degas’ wax sculptures of ballerinas. As a high school graduation gift, my parents sent me on a student trip to France. At 18, I’d heard of the word Impressionism and, being an avid student of dance, I’d seen some of Degas’ behind-the-scenes…

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Awesome Gift for Francophiles who Love Paris and Photography

L'éléphant-colosse du Moulin Rouge, 1900, anonymous

I have a small stack of French-related coffee table books that I’ve wanted to review for months but waited until December since I think they’d make great gifts. Today’s post was intended to supplement a previous piece, 35 Sensational Reads for the Francophiles on your Gift List. When I sat…

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Le Grand Monde: A Crumbling Empire Sets the Stage for Vice and Villainy

Focus Image Le Grand Monde

Night had fallen last December when I left the Musée Carnavalet after attending an exhibit on La Régence, a period in French history that marks the dawn of the Enlightenment. Despite the darkness, the streets of the Marais were still bustling with activity and I felt the same pull to…

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Lampooning the Olympics, French Cartoonists Win Gold

Focus Image Olympics Games, by Mutio

As France prepares to welcome athletes and tourists from around the world, many French people are hanging onto their hats. While thousands have benevolently volunteered to help out, opportunists abound, exploring every angle to advance their personal gain. It’s been 100 years since the games last took place in Paris…

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The Fanciful and Poignant “French Collection” of Faith Ringgold

Picasso's Studio

This Sunday marks exactly one year since I learned of the American artist Faith Ringgold while roving around Paris. After returning home, I wrote about the special exhibit at Le Musée Picasso that introduced me to her work. She died last week at age 93. So this week, I thought…

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