January 16, 2015

Storytelling…

Frederico Fellini vs Wes Anderson

When the great Italian film director Frederico Fellini suddenly died in 1993, we mourned his loss…no more of his fantastical, poetic, funny and tender portrayals of characters and events…my husband Gilles and I were in mourning… But then the wonderful whimsical film director Wes Anderson came onto the scene, and we were immediately drawn into his world of dysfunctional families, deep sea explorers, Indian train journeys, animated animals, boy scouts and more recently, a magical grand hotel in the sinister interbellum..

GrandBud3The “fantastical” Grand Budapest Hotel on the mountain top…

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment
January 15, 2015

Still…Life…

The secret life of ordinary daily objects.

Perhaps it is my Dutch hertitage but I am very drawn to still life painting. The magic of ordinary objects grouped in a seemingly spontaneous manner, frozen in time…utterly enchanting!

One painter in particular is my absolute favorite: Willem Claeszoon Heda (1593/1594-1680/1682)

Heda

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment
January 14, 2015

Basket Case…

I am proud to be called a “Basket Case”

My passion for baskets is all shapes and forms from all over the world must be rooted in my African childhood. Growing up in Kenya, baskets were a feature in all aspects of life. “Oh no! Not another basket!” is a recurring exclamation from the man in my life…

There is something sexy and innocent about a girl nonchalantly swinging a basket as a tote bag…I once read the lovely Jane Birkin also has the basket bug…

Jane-Birkin-Basket-6

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment
January 14, 2015

Force & Fragility

Egon Schiele 1890-1918

“Art cannot be modern. Art is primordially eternal”

Egon Schiele is one of my favorite artists and during the opening night at the marvelous Neue Galerie in New York you could walk over the heads. Just before coming back to Paris, I was privileged to have a private showing with my friend Beth and her husband. We wandered around the empty rooms  and spent as much time as we wanted in front of every work…

For you, New Yorkers, the show is on until January 19, so hurry up!

SchieleHands2

Self Portrait

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment
January 13, 2015

I see things, wonderful things…

On 26 November 1922, Howard Carter peeked into Tutankhamun’s Tomb and glimpsed the pharoah’s treasure by candlelight. ‘Can you see anything?’ asked Lord Caernavon, ‘Yes, wonderful things’ Howard Carter famously replied…

This is exactly how I feel when entering René and Barbara Stoeltie’s elegant Gemini Art Gallery, just off the famous Place des Sablons, in Brussels. With an uncanny eye and faultless taste, René and Barbara offer something for every budget.

Gemini2

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a comment