Roy Lichtenstein

We were invited to Roy Lichtenstein's retrospective at Centre G. Pompidou today.

 Had breakfast with my love & watched Paris slowly come to life.. we escaped before the arrival of the summer crowds.

Helmut Newton retrospective

Helmut Newton was an iconic photographer. Although some people frowned upon his nudes & criticised some of his fashion photos as bordering on porno chic, I love nudes in general & feel that these people should just relax & enjoy a photo! Anyway, women are often portrayed as strong, feminine & powerful in his photos. I would love to have a print of his in our living room. Plus he worked for our national newspaper the Straits Times in 1938.

Some of my favorites...though not all were shown in the exhibition.

Yves Saint Laurent & Karen mulder, in behind-the-scenes footage, his hands were shaking as he hesitated to place them on her body.

From Vogue, but not sure which year.

After dinner, of his wife June. I love this photo, everything about it is sensual & intimate.

Leaving Las Vegas.

The exhibition was a great collection of his famous works... not to be missed if you happen to be in Paris. It's on till June 17th xx

Vuitton & Marc Jacobs

Spent the afternoon at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs... one of my favorite museums in Paris. This time, they held a retrospective of Marc jacobs' tenure at Vuitton together with a brief recap of Louis Vuitton. Indeed they were 2 men from 2 different eras with similar visions; Vuitton brought to his clients at the height of industrialization, what Marc Jacobs brought to us in this era of globalization - utility, quality & beauty.

Outside the museum, the sun is back in Paris... outdoor tables are filling up fast & winter coats are disappearing.

Stein exposition

Paris at 0800hrs. The light is so soft over the Seine that we walk for longer than we should, breathing in the crisp cold air.

The Grand Palais where we are due 2 hours before the museum opens.

Le Point magazine invited us for breakfast at the museum & a private visit to the Stein exhibition... which got me out of bed willingly... cos i hate lining up during winter for museums.

The Stein siblings were American art lovers who built up an impressive collection of great painters in the 20th century. They had Picasso's & Cezanne's early works... the small little paintings who would never be as well-known as the famous ones but to me are sometimes nicer. Art is of course, subjective... but a quiet Wednesday morning of coffee, croissants & art is hard to disagree with. xx

Madame Gres exhibition

Madame Gres in Paris.

I was feeling a little down & homesick after arriving in Paris so decided to go for a dose of couture to cheer myself up. And what an amazing exhibition it was. Housed in the Bourdelle museum, haute couture stood regally amidst sculptures by the famous student of Rodin. Madame Gres was a famous couturier in the early 20th century, making dresses for the likes of Cecil Beaton. She is well-known for her draped dresses & pleats.

Evening gown in crepe. The main hall was just breathtaking... imagine high ceilings, HUGE sculptures & dresses standing serenely amidst the grandeur... i could not help but be swept up right away.

This room was the most beautiful of all, the atelier of Bourdelle was preserved in all its dark musty glory & gorgeous couture dresses stood in the middle of history.

Love the colours!

My 2 favorites... just look at the details!

There were little courtyards everywhere in the museum with Bourdelle's sculptures & places to just sit down & rest. It was a quiet afternoon & i was lucky to have caught the exhibition cos they extended it to August. If u are ever in Paris these couple days... please go! You have to see it x

murakami x Versailles

Murakami x Versailles, old vs new.

The palace gardens all covered in snow was a beautiful sight to behold. Despite having been to Paris many times, I have never stepped foot in Versailles. The Murakami exhibition which ends 12 december finally made me haul myself there despite the cold.

Tongari-kun, Mr Pointy greets us as we entered the whimsical colorful but sometimes dark world of Takashi Murakami. He is such an icon in his creative use of thousands of colors... you are always left speechless when u stand before a giant work of his.

Kaikai & Kiki are 2 of my favorite Murakami characters! I loved the juxtaposition of contemporary Japanese art & old French aristocratic gild & busts.

Miss Ko2... i think i saw her in Frankfurt 2 years ago!

The magnificent Hall of Mirrors.

Flower Matango in the Hall of Mirrors.

 

And finally, the most happy piece of art - Kawaii - Vacances, Summer Vacation in the Kingdom of the Golden and a carpet full of happy flower faces! The kids were all laughing here & even the museum guard seemed relaxed & friendly.

It was a breath of sunshine in an otherwise freezing & bleak winter afternoon.

thru the eyes of karl...

One of the best exhibitions i've seen in Paris is a showcase of Karl lagerfeld's photos in a little museum known as the Maison europeene de la photographie. Lagerfeld is well-known as the head honcho of Chanel (even though I think he is much better when he designs for Fendi), but few know of his talent behind the lens.

Sometimes, when i fall in love with a particular Chanel ad, i'm not surprised to find out that he is in fact the person who shot it. I was very happy to spend a rainy overcast afternoon indoors with his numerous photos of fashion muses, models, actresses, & places in Paris.

Murakami in Frankfurt

I went for the Takashi murakami exhibition in Frankfurt and was uber happy. The last time i was there, they opened a day after i left so i swore jet lag and fatigue would not stop me this time.



Just opposite the girl with the spraying nipples was her boyfriend with an erect penis and a sperm cloud around him. It was hilarious and oh-so-cute!



It was one of the happiest exhibitions i have ever seen... there was even a Vuitton room where all the walls were FILLED with his collaborations with them. Colorful monograms everywhere... it was just crazy. And my favorite..



Tan Tan Bo Puking!!!!



Plus I stumbled upon a most beautiful Christmas market right smack in the center of the city.



It was packed with families and couples.. it was all very heartwarming but a tad lonely.



So i stuffed my face with a delicious currywurst..



and a cup of hot wine to warm the body..



Have i mentioned how much i love carousels? I always stop to take a look at the smiling faces as they twirl round and round.. and the parents happily snapping away.



I wish you were there with me.



Stopping for a hot chocolate on the way back.. une patisserie toute charmante!

Valentino exhibition

L'exposition Valentino: Themes et Variations.



The exhibition featured his couture collections over the years, with some from princesses and actresses.





And the perfect souvenir!



A notebook with reproductions of his sketches.. beautiful beyond words!



One of the coolest boutiques in Paris.. This time i experienced such wonderful service from boutiques to cafes to parfumeries... i had to ask myself... Am I really in Paris? Lol.



I had all the time in the world to myself. Going inside La Madeleine, lingerie shopping at my favorite places, picking up a book or two, cheap Monoprix stock-ups... I love it! So many charming quartiers in Paris, you could get lost and still you're never far from a cafe, bistro, metro station or undiscovered quaint shop.



And catching up with serene... how time flies is beyond my comprehension.
I don't want to grow up at all... but i realise we are already all grown up.