In 1858, when Emperor Napoleon III decided to visit the old opera house of Paris, an assassination plot was uncovered as bombs exploded near the opera house. The devastation of the attempt left the old opera house in desperate need of repair. Yet from the ashes of this tragedy emerged a breathtaking architectural sculpture designed by Charles Garnier. Read More »
Located across from the Opéra de Paris and designed by Charles Garnier, the same architect who built the future setting for the legendary novel and musical, The Phantom of the Opera, the Café de la Paix still stands proudly in the heart of Paris. Opened in 1862, preceding the grand opening of the stunning Opéra Garnier in 1875, the café ... Read More »
What is more quintessentially Parisian than a small café where guests sipped on coffee and nibbled on croissants? How about a café that also seconded as a meeting place every Thursday and Sunday for Impressionist masters Manet, Monet, Bazille, Renoir, writer Émile Zola and countless others to participate in lively discussions from 1866 to 1874? Read More »
Although it is one of the most well known museums in the world, not many know that Paris’s Musée du Louvre was once a fortress built under the reign of France’s King Phillip II in the 12th century. Since that time the Louvre had been remolded and extended to serve as the royal housing for numerous royal families of France ... Read More »
Already an established painter, Claude Monet was persuaded by a French statesman in 1914 to dabble in the artistic depiction of water lilies. Convinced to attempt his masterful hand at this next series of landscape paintings, Monet produced his marvelous Water Lilies arranged in a large-scale cycle. His condition for donating these works to the state was that they be ... Read More »
A beautifully restored 17th century building nestled in the heart of the scenic and hilly French town of Montmartre, this museum was once occupied by artists Raoul Dufy, Maurice Utrillo, and even Auguste Renoir. The picturesque surrounding of the town’s natural beauty inspired a number of Renoir’s paintings, including The Garden Rue de Cortot, Montmartre. Now, this exquisite mansion ... Read More »
A Bushwick native via Israel, Or Zubalsky has been making music in Brooklyn for over six years. His music project is called Juviley, which has just released a new album out called Our Choices Rhyme. You can find the album in all the traditional places but you can also grab it on Juviley’s site via a video game. Or ... Read More »
Once a grand railway station, the beautiful Musée d’Orsay seemed destined to house artwork that would complement its stunning architecture and interior design. However, it was not until 1977 that the building became a museum, hosting the Impressionist collection from the Musée de Luxembourg. But before these artworks found their way to d’Orsay, they were rejected by the Musée ... Read More »
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