Auvers-sur-Oise: Van Gogh's final destination - a Paris day trip

The village of Auvers-sur-Oise was the final chapter in Van Gogh's life, and an easy day trip from Paris.

Van Gogh was particularly productive here, painting around 80 works over a 70 day period. This all ended however, when he suffered a gunshot to his chest. This is said to be a suicide attempt, although some contend that he was shot by someone else, by accident. In any case, he managed to return to his hotel and survived a further two days before passing.

What's there?

••  Large signposts featuring an image of the relevant Van Gogh painting, placed next to the building or vista which was the subject of the painting - This is the highlight of the trip, as it provides some insights into his works that you would never see from the paintings alone. It's also worth pointing out that there are only five or so signposts where this comparison can be made easily. The remaining signposts are less interesting, as they show locations where the scenery has significantly changed since 1890, or show the locations of portraits, or show the paintings of other artists.

Raw Vision - 25 ans d’Art Brut (final week)

An exposition celebrating the 25th anniversary of Raw Vision - a London magazine based around non-conventional contemporary folk art or "outsider art". This outsider art concept is what makes the exposition, with most works tapping directly into the deep subconscious place from where the most innovative and creative art comes from.

Small blurbs throughout the exhibit provide insights into the outsider artists - artists that have experienced illnesses, disabilities, different states of mental health, persecution, imprisonment etc etc. Freedoms that have been taken away from the artists, but inadvertently allowed them to achieve creativity that many can only dream of.

Atelier Brancusi - Sculptor Constantin Brancusi's workshop

Atelier Brancusi is a reconstruction of Constantin Brancusi's studio workshop, and definitely a hidden gem worth visiting. It preserves his sculptures, drawings, tools and furniture in their original arrangement.

His studio originally existed in Montparnasse, at 11 Impasse Ronsin, now part of a hospital complex. When Brancusi passed away, he left his studio to the French government on the condition that the studio and its contents be preserved exactly as he left them. It was first reconstructed at the Palais de Tokyo, however this installation was considered inadequate by many. It was then reconstructed next to the Pompidou, however this replica was eventually closed due to construction and curatorial issues.

Lucio Fontana - Retrospective

Lucio Fontana is an Italian artist, best known for founding the art movement of spatialism...or spazialismo as the Italians would say, at the top of their voice, and with their arms waving around excessively.

The best description is always the art itself, but if I was to put it into words, Fontana's approach was an attempt to break away from traditional art forms, and to create art that projected into the space beyond the artwork itself, and to explore the use of space itself in his artworks.

Fontana explored spatialism in several ways, all of which are on display at the exposition:

••  Early sculptures and ceramics - Fontana's early sculptures were abstract and figurative but you can see a uniqueness in his works which was evidently the beginnings of his spatialist concepts.

Tatoueurs, Tatoués - Exposition at Quai Branly

Tatoueurs, Tatoués (Tattooists, Tattooed) - an exposition exploring the history of tattoo artists and tattoos, as you may have guessed, from their origins through to current times.

The exposition starts with the origins of tattooing, which is said to date back to 3350 - 3100 BC. It looks at the reasoning behind tattoos in these earlier cultures - a mark of initiation rituals, an indicator of marginalisation, a mark of social prestige, a mark of punishment. In general, a sign of belonging or not belonging to a group.

It then continues on with tattoo history - circus sideshows, tattoos in Japan, tattoos in North America, and tattoos in Europe. Each has an interesting past of tattoos growing and falling in popularity, interplaying with historical events.

Martial Raysse - Retrospective 1960-2014

An exposition following the chronology of French artist Martial Raysse. It starts with his early works: pop art; fluorescent colours; assemblies of consumer objects; and neon tube art.

The exposition then follows Raysse as he moves away from pop art and develops new styles: paintings separated into fragments and then rearranged; film and video; small paper mache sculptures; paintings inspired by mythology; figurines made of scrap materials; large sculptures; and large pictorial fresco paintings.

Raysse's variety of styles and mediums is what makes the exposition - Raysse injects originality throughout them all. I won't say more, you'll just have to check it out yourself.

The Centre Georges Pompidou - a newbie's guide

The Centre Georges Pompidou is one of the top three museums in Paris, housing modern and contemporary art. In terms of art periods, roughly speaking, Pompidou takes over from where d'Orsay finishes.

There is a permanent collection spread over 2 large levels, and there are high standard temporary exhibitions on the 6th and/or 1st level.

Highlights:

••  Atelier Brancusi - A reconstruction of Constantin Brancusi's actual studio, complete with his workshop and tools, and display room of his sculptures. It's the highlight of the highlights. It's housed in a separate building, which can be found at the north end of the piazza area outside the Pompidou. Entry is free, but it is only open in the afternoons.

Motion Factory - the secrets of stop motion animation

This exposition explores the work and methods behind stop motion animation. It presents a selection of short films, alongside making-of videos, alongside displays of the storyboards and miniature figurines, models and sets. The short films are also played in a cinema on the big screen.

Around 20 films are given this treatment, including my new favourite - Panique au Village (A Town Called Panic). (If you're not familiar, check it out - it's a comedy based on the adventures of Cowboy, Indian and Horse, who live together under some strange sharehouse arrangement. You'll have to trust me. There is a feature length movie and several shorts, many of which can be found on YouTube.)

Le Mur: La Collection Antoine de Galbert - review

Le Mur (The Wall) is an exhibition of contemporary artworks currently showing at La Maison Rouge. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of the art gallery, and presents the personal collection of Antoine de Galbert, who founded La Maison Rouge.

It is a random selection from his huge collection and hence is a mixture of various styles and artists. The most important factor in an exhibition like this is the individual taste of the private collector - and in this case, I can definitely say I like his taste. Moreover, the variety on display should ensure most will enjoy.

In addition to this, the exhibition also plays on a few interesting concepts.

Musée du Louvre - a newbie's guide

Musée du Louvre is the biggest and deservedly well known art museum in Paris, and if you only have time for one museum, this is the one. It covers ancient civilisation art, Islamic art and Western art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

Highlights:

••  Mona Lisa - I recommend reading a little about the innovations that Leonardo achieved with this painting so that you can appreciate it more.

••  Venus de Milo sculpture.

••  Cupid and Psyche (Canova); Captive - The Dying Slave (Michelangelo); and the rest of the Italian sculpture section.

Love Lock Bridge - overburdened with love

The Pont des Arts (aka Love Lock Bridge) was recently in the news when a section collapsed under the weight of the locks. It's a pedestrian bridge that embodies an ancient tradition dating back to... err... 2008, where you symbolically seal your love into a lock, attach it to the bridge, and throw the key into the Seine.

The result - a bridge completely covered in locks...two bridges actually...

1.  Pont des Arts - between the Louvre and the Institut de France.

2.  Pont de l'Archevêché - near the south-east corner of the Notre Dame.

In true Paris style, the former is said to be for committed love, and the later for lovers.

Fields of Battle - Terres de Paix 14-18 (Jardin du Luxembourg)

Le Jardin du Luxembourg is one of the best gardens in Paris, and so it's worth visiting in it's own right. However, over the next few months you can also see a photo exhibition on display at the gardens, by photographer Michael St Maur Sheil. The exhibition takes a look at World War I, through photos of what remains in todays landscapes.

To give you an idea...photos include what remains of trenches, weapons, forts, mine craters, and of course, the cemeteries. Some stunning photography, and it's free.

There is also a giant walk-on map that gives you a quick history lesson on the movements of the World War I front lines.

59 Rivoli - An artist collective in a legalised squat - review

An art gallery you won't find in the guidebooks - 59 Rivoli. The website touts that there are 30 artists at any given time, with 20 permanent and 10 temporary, spread over 6 levels. It has a street art vibe, but you'll find other styles of art here as well.

Entry is free, and you can wander and see many of the artists working away in their studios, who are more than willing to chat.

The ground level apparently presents a new exhibition from an outside artist every 2 weeks, and you'll find small free music gigs at 6pm every Sat and Sun. Music festivals are also held twice a year which take over the whole building.

Ikea - from Paris - by train

I'm not sure if I should be supporting Ikea, but love it or hate it...Ikea is very handy when you need to furnish and create a functional Parisian apartment - quickly and on the cheap.

(Let's face it, given the condition of most Paris apartments, you're lucky if you had light fittings when you moved in).

But moving on....you won't find Ikea in Paris proper, but there are a few in the suburbs.

So...can you get to any of them by train? Yes.

1.  Find your way to Montparnasse Bienvenüe using the metro lines.

Current exhibitions at the Grand Palais - review

Monumenta 2014

These are my picks for the current exhibitions at the Grand Palais. There are others, and more coming soon, so you can check the official website for more options. And you can check out my post on the Grand Palais for for general info on the site.

1.  Monumenta 2014 - this is an exhibition that is held every year where a different artist is invited to do their thing in the vast main hall of the Grand Palais. This year it's a Russian duo - Ilya & Emilia Kabakov: The Strange City.

The artists have attempted to transform the Grand Palais into a fantasy world, like something out of a comic book. As you move through each room, you learn something new about the fantasy world, and slowly immerse yourself into the "strange city". The layout is like a labyrinth, which lends itself to disorientating the viewer, and is very effective at pushing the viewer to become even further immersed in the fantasy world.

Le Grand Palais - a newbie's guide

Another must see landmark in Paris - The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées. Originally built for the 1900 World Exposition, the building now houses a variety of exhibitions and events.

Accessing the building can be a little tricky, as there are several entry points. Each entry leads to different isolated sections of the building, as summarised below:

••  The main hall under the glass vault - this is the architectural highlight of the building. It houses the large temporary exhibitions and events. Entry is only possible during exhibitions and events, so it's worth checking the website for current and upcoming events if you want to go inside. Annual events include the Art Paris Art Fair, a car show, a horse show jumping event, and the Monumenta exhibition. If nothing is showing, you can get a small glimpse through the doors at the main entrance (facing Av Winston Churchill).

Monet's house and gardens - a Paris day trip review

If you have even the slightest interest in Monet, then this is without question, the best day trip from Paris. Approximately one hour from Paris, Monet created a garden which I would say is his most beautiful piece of art (I won't say beautiful again, but it applies to everything I mention in this post).

What's there? 

1.  The garden - the place that provided the inspiration for many of Monet's most recognisable paintings. The garden consists of two areas...

The upper area is a large garden packed with flowers...I've never seen so many flowers in one space. I'm not sure how true it is to Monet's original garden, but it certainly is spectacular.

The Forest of Fontainebleau - Les circuit des 25 bosses

This guide takes the shape of me simply sharing my weekend adventure / challenge, and letting it serve as inspiration, or not, for your own expedition.

The challenge? To hike Les circuit des 25 bosses without using a car to get there. It's a bit risky, but I like that element of danger and trouble to keep everything on its edge.

So what is Les circuit des 25 bosses? Well it's one of the more interesting and rewarding hiking trails in the forest of Fontainebleau. It's name roughly translates to 25 bumps, so as you can imagine, it involves hiking up and down at least 25 times.

It's the perfect place to see the large boulders for which the forest is known. The catch is that it's on the western edge of the forest, about as far away as you can get from the normal train access point. As a result, normal access is by car. And hence my challenge...

The best free iPhone apps for Paris...

This post has been written for the iPhone 5S using iOS 7.1, however almost all of these apps are available for other smartphones, as well as tablets. Note that these apps are mostly from the French app store, and so their availability may differ in other countries (learn how to change your country setting at the bottom of this post).

So...what are the best apps for Paris? Well here's what I think, in no particular order:

1.  RATP - The official and well made app for the Paris public transport system covering the metro lines, RER lines and buses. It's particularly useful when using the bus network. Includes maps.

Spring exhibitions at Musée d'Orsay - review

There are two temporary exhibition treats to enjoy at d'Orsay this spring.

1.  Gustave Doré: Master of Imagination - This one was a nice surprise, as I went in knowing very little about Doré...so much so that the gallery staff felt sorry for my ignorance, and she gave me the audio guide for free!

The exhibition covers Doré's life works, from his early caricatures, his illustrations (his strongest body of work), his paintings, as well as other things he dabbled in such as sculpture.

Some of the highlights include the creative illustrations he did for the bible, his illustrations of Shakespeare's plays, and his landscape paintings (my personal favourite). You'll also see how his works have had a sizable influence on the comic book world, and the cinema world.