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A visit to the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris is a breathtaking experience.  Gorgeous space with outstanding collections of ethnic art.

A few details of Aboriginal Art, I simply love the earthy warm colours and the 'simplicity' of the painting technique.
pictures taken January 2011.

Musée du Quai Branly
37, Quai Branly - 75007 Paris
(close to the Eiffel tower and Palais de Tokio)

past + present at Viaduc des Arts

The 'Viaduc des Arts' in Paris is a nice location to explore.  On top of the viaduct the railway tracks made place for a long green public park called 'Promenade Plantée' or 'Coulée Verte'.  The arcades underneath are turned into arts & crafts workshops where about 50 artisans in different disciplines are working in nice vaulted airy rooms.

One of these can be rented by the week for exhibitions or pop-up stores.  At the time we visited Paris Caroline of Past + Present turned the space into a great shop with gorgeous vintage finds.

A few pieces of her collection can be adapted to other dimensions.

The next sale from Past + Present at the Viaduc des Arts will be from May 30 until June 5 - 2011

Visit Caroline's blog for more information.

www.pastpluspresent.blogspot.com

Viaduc des Arts
Promenade plantée





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Solar Shop

Hotel Drouot - auction house in Paris

We got this great tip, if you like vintage and design or antiques.  The landlord of our B&B in Paris occasionally sells antiques at the Hotel Drouot, so we decided to go and have a look.  The items for sale will vary from day to day but it is quite fun to to discover treasures in this place.  Ideal on a cold or rainy day.

One room is filled with fashion, shoes, accessories and jewelry.

A 'Vivienne Westwood' is waiting for its next owner.

This collection gives me ideas for a few projects.

Centuries old antiques in another room (just a tiny part of it on the picture, the African objects seemed very popular as it was pretty crowded there).

These don't fit in my home (nor my budget) but I do love them.

Definitely a favourite, I have a soft spot for old wood.

Another room filled with art.

Orlinski in the auction, just some minutes walking from here I see a brandnew one in a gallery.

One needs some time to browse through the massive selection and I haven't made pictures in all the rooms.

Dalí on a rug.

A room with a Souk feeling, from top to bottom filled with carpets and rugs of all kinds.

There was no specific design sale the next days but check the auction site for upcoming exhibitions and sales.

www.drouot.com

related post

merci-Paris-design-with-vintage-material

mystery 'drippings' resolved

The first night in Paris walking back to our B&B, from a distance I noticed spilled paint on the sidewalk and thought someone had done a very messy job painting a wall.  But at a closer look I found a nice surprise.

I was intrigued, this was subtle street art.  Not the kind that shouts out loud but a little treasure only visible to the one that has an eye for it.

I wondered if there were more around and my eyes swept the Parisian streets the next days, hoping to find more...

Was this done by the same artist or just someone using the same technique?

A few days later, miles away from the first discovery, near the Palais de Tokyo I spotted this.

Someone was leaving almost invisible portraits on the sidewalks, I wondered who it was.  Trying to imagine how and when these traces were left for people to discover.

Only 10 days later in Brussels, by pure coincidence ... 

HLM bleu

... there was no doubt in my mind, this was done by the same artist.

The Truc Troc exchange fair in Brussels last weekend (more on that the next days) resolved the mystery.  I left a note.

Only the next day, when downloading the pictures I'd taken, I noticed the painting next to this one was from the same artist.  It got the best spot in the exhibition, impossible to miss as everybody came through this opening to enter one of the so many halls.

Gitane

Who is the mystery artist ?

It is Kouka from France.

Did I get a response to my offer?

I did!  Not that I got the painting, my proposition could not compete with the more generous ones, but I received a very kind note from Kouka.  This was quite sufficient, I knew who made the poetic portraits in the streets of Paris...

A book with pictures on his artwork is in the making and should be available by the end of June 2011 at éditions critères (collection opus délits).

www.kouka.me

La Défense - sculpture park

Icy wind on a cloudy day in winter, not exactly the right time to visit La Défense in Paris, but here we are.

Alexander Calder - Red Spider - 1976

Joan Miró

Yaacov Agam with a monumental dancing fountain that ends in a colourful cascade on the right (not in the picture).



Grataloup - Les Trois Arbres (the three trees)

Raymond Moretti

I just got a new small camera with a few extras.  Just playing around with extra bright colours (it is a very gloomy day) and other bits.

First time I use the fish-eye...

But it is way too cold to go and find more sculptures - there are 60 of them scattered over a large area - maybe we'll come back here on a nice summer day. 

In the meantime get to know more on the artworks via this LINK

Siptrott à La Défense

Two years ago, we visited the gorgeous studio of France & Hugues Siptrott in the Northern Vosges in France.  The more than life size sculptures in their original state were absolutely beautiful.  The final version in bronze is standing at La Défense.  So, off we go to try to find them in this large sculpture park at the edge of Paris.

And we're lucky, right at the exit of the subway we spot them.

France & Hugues Siptrott - Les Hommes de la Cité or Alors pense à un oiseau très blanc

View the models of these sculptures in THIS POST

More sculptures by other artists at La Défense in the next post.