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| Matisse Retrospective: On view is The Peasant Blouse (1940) oil on canvas |
Interior Designer India Mahdavi Opens Boutique in Paris
Interior designer India Mahdavi has devoted fans among the trendy jet-set crowd; her projects have included the Thoumieux restaurants in Paris, the CONDESA df hotel in Mexico City, The Connaught’s Coburg Bar in London, the Hotel on Rivington in New York, the Monte-Carlo Beach hotel in Monaco and the dragon-i club in Hong Kong. One of our favorites is the cool Café Germain in Paris—a perfect expression of her colorful and imaginative style. Inside is a massive yellow sculpture by artist Xavier Veilhan—a statue of a woman which breaks through the ceiling and spans all three floors; the head, the torso and the feet on different levels.
Design devotees traveling to Paris will want to make a beeline to Mahdavi’s new boutique, opened just a few steps from her showroom on rue Las Cases in the 7th arrondissement. Mahdavi describes it as “a mini bazaar but oriental in style.” Inside you’ll find jewelry, vases, lamps, rugs and objets d’art that Mahdavi found in the famous Paris flea markets. For more information, visit www.india-mahdavi.com.
New Restaurants in Paris: Yannick Alléno’s Terroir Parisien
Big news: the Michelin three-starred chef at the helm of Le Meurice is opening his first bistro. Called “Terroir Parisien,” the restaurant will open its doors any day now on rue Saint Victor in the 5th arrondissement. A few years ago, Yannick Alléno launched a “terroir parisien” lunch menu, celebrating the local products and culinary history in the Parisian region, and this bistro is an extension of that concept. (Read our first-hand report of the lunch menu at Le Meurice at www.luxurytraveladvisor.com.) The celebrated chef published a book with the same name, which included commentary by the noted food critic, Jean-Claude Ribaut.
Alléno grew up in a family of restaurateurs in the Paris suburbs, and is thus attached to the local culinary tradition. “People ignore the fact that a real Parisian terroir exists. But I think that gastronomy was born in Paris. It’s important to revisit the culinary history of this city and rediscover the products that are about to disappear,” he said.
The restaurant menu won’t cost more than $39 per person and will feature items like mackerel cooked in white wine, liver terrine from charcutier Gilles Vérot, and Parisien hotdogs—think gourmet style, concoted from tête de veau, or cooked calf’s head. All paired with a good pichet of wine, of course. Helmed by Chef Eric Castandet, Terroir Parisien will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, including Sunday brunch. Terroir Parisien can be found at 20 rue Saint Victor. For more information visit www.yannick-alleno.com.
The Matisse Exhibit at Centre Pompidou
If you’re traveling to Paris between now and June 18, head straight to the Centre Pompidou to check out the Matisse retrospective called “Pairs and Series.” As we reported last month, this buzzed-about exhibit will head to Copenhagen, Denmark, and then NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art after it concludes in Paris.
What’s fascinating about this exhibit is the juxtaposition of canvases that depict the same compositions, though painted with different colors, brushwork and framing. It’s really a lens inside the creative process of one of the most innovative artists who thought deeply about the concept of creation and sketched tirelessly before completing what appears to be an effortless work. Sixty paintings and 30 drawings have been assembled from the most important public and private collections around the world. The exhibit covers Matisse’s entire artistic career, from 1899 to 1952.
Tip: The exhibit has been such a smash hit that it is open until 11 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. This is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with major artwork in a festive, nocturnal atmosphere. The ride up the Pompidou’s escalators—framing incredible panoramas of the sparkling city—is worth the trip alone. Next to the exhibit, the rooftop restaurant “George” has incredible views of the city’s monuments.
The ticket price is $16.98 for access to the temporary exhibits plus the permanent collection, and can be purchased online at www.centrepompidou.fr/billetterie. The museum is closed on Tuesdays. For more information, visit www.centrepompidou.fr.