Only for a limited time...

FIAC is an annual important art fair, for fairly contemporary art, using the Grand Palais. This year it took place October 17-21. Some artwork can also, for a limited time, be found outside, on some squares … and also in the Tuileries Gardens. I went there the other day, maybe a bit too late, but I found some of the exhibited items.

I’m not going to give the names of all the artists, you can find it all here. We recognize of course Calder…

This double horn makes it possible to watch the surroundings differently… and also to listen.   

Well, this was also an opportunity to watch some happy birds…

… and to admire the fantastic work by the gardeners in this late season.

Leaving the Garden, a last glimpse on the obelisk.

Something missing...

I posted a few times already on the statues in the Tuileries Gardens, see e.g. here, here and here. I found a post on the excellent blog “Paris-bise-art” (also in activity for some ten years) about the marble (?) statues that were placed here during the 18^th and 19^th centuries and the article talked about in what shape these statues may be today.

I guess that we agree that these statues need to be renovated, cleaned… and that some missing parts should be added.

Well, things may look bad, but there are also among the great number of statues…

… some which seem to be in perfect shape. We should also know that many of these statues are just copies and that the originals are « in safety » inside the Louvre Museum and that others obviously will follow.

Walking around the Tuileries Gardens I saw some ravens (I hope I’m right – these are ravens?)...

... and that reminded me about the statue of La Fontaine and his fable “The Raven And The Fox” to be found in the Ranelagh Gardens.  I wrote about it here (and then called the raven a crow). The poor fox has since at least a year lost its magnificent tail. (There is actually another fable by La Fontaine about “The Fox With His Tail Cut Off”, but that’s another story.)  

   

New sculptures in the Tuileries Gardens

Some three years ago, I made two posts, showing more or less all statues and sculptures you can find in the Tuileries Gardens. (I also made a post, almost five years ago, about the disappeared Tuileries Castle.)

On one of the sunny spring days we have recently enjoyed (these photos were taken March 26), I made a tour to the crowded Gardens, sat down for a while with a book, (fell asleep for a short moment)) … , but I discovered also at least two new sculptures, which did not appear in my previous posts. Some are exposed only for a couple of years and then go back to their “home”, in general a museum.

Here is one by Willem de Kooning (1904-97), called “Standing Figure”...

… and here is another one by Yayoi Kusama (1929- ), called “Flowers that Bloom at Night”.

I also discovered a biking lady with what looks like expensive Christian Louboutin shoes. 
In one of my recent posts about the Invalides, I showed a painting of Louis XIV wearing red heels. Some nice comments from fellow bloggers draw my attention to the fact that the right to wear red heels was restricted to nobility, a privilege that was lost with the Revolution. The fashion is said to have started when the (fashion-leading) brother of Louis XIV one night had been visiting some taverns around the Paris slaughter-house, came home too late to change properly before having to attend to the King's council ... and was observed having red heels... 
A very knowledgeable lady, living in Paraguay, Maria, also added that "When Thomas Jefferson came back from France his friends and fellow signers of the American Independence could not believe their eyes when they saw him for the first time. The still young and very handsome former Ambassador wore make up, was richly dressed in the latest style and his black patent leather shoes had RED heels!!! John Adams, always outspoken asked him how he dared dress like that in his own country of all places. Such spectacle was never seen before in that young Republic...On the other hand because they loved him they were relieved to see the former inconsolable widower looking like such a happy dandy...”

Statues - Tuileries Gardens (2)

In the Tuileries Gardens (see also my post from last Friday) we find also a large number of more modern statues and sculptures.

The Gardens are known for an extensive exposition of Maillol statues. They are all in the part of the Gardens which are close to the Louvre and are installed here since 1964, more or less hidden by hedges. Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) has also his own museum in Paris (59-61 rue Grenelle) and is also represented in a number of prestigious foreign museums.

Some of the contemporary statues seem to be deposited here for shorter periods by Paris’ different museums and then replaced; some seem to be more permanent.

On the below patchworks, you can see works by Henry Moore, Jean Dubuffet, Roy Lichtenstein, Louise Bourgeois, Paul Landowski *, Paul Belmondo, Henri Laurens...

Maybe a special remark about the “fallen tree” above: It’s made by Giuseppe Penone. I thought it may have been ordered as a reference to the number of trees that fell down during the strongest storm Paris has ever suffered – in 1999, but obviously it was ordered before. It was installed here just after the storm in 2000.

I'm not the only one to have been disturbed by the recent installation of a sculpture called “Clara Clara” by Richard Serra at the Place de la Concorde entrance to the Gardens. In my mind it completely destroys the “Historical Axis” perspective. It seems however that it will be (already should have been) removed and placed elsewhere. Also the Ferris wheel is temporarily installed, so it should hopefully soon again be possible to get a view from the Louvre via the Champs-Elysées, the Arch of Triumph ... to the new business skyscraper area, just outside Paris – La Défense.

*/ See also the post about Pont de la Tournelle; Landowski was also the sculptor of the famous “Christ the Redeemer” in Rio.

(GMG immediately commented on the absence of snow. It's still there - to some extent - but these photos were taken just before the snowfall.)

Addendum:
In the above collages there is a bronze statue of which I could not find the name, nor the sculptor.... if it hadn’t been for Virginia, who visited Paris late last year, and also in 2007 with her granddaughter Eva. (See her Paris-through-my-lens site.) She kindly sent me this charming photo with the indication (after long research) that it is made by the Swedish sculptor (working in France), Erik Dietman (1937-2002) and is called “L’ami de personne” (Nobody’s friend). It’s definitely worth a second look!

Statues - Tuileries Gardens (1)

The Tuileries Gardens have been where they are since the 16th century. Until then you could here find a quarry for tiles (« tuileries » in French). Originally it was the garden park of the Tuileries Palace, built for Catherine de Medicis. The Palace was destroyed by fire during the Paris Commune in 1871 and a bit later completely dismantled. (You can find pieces of the Palace at some places in Paris – see previous post.)
The Gardens were rather immediately – as the first one in Paris – opened to public. They were redesigned by Le Nôtre (1664), Louis XIV’s major gardener (Versailles...), and have still more or less kept his design. They make today the junction between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde and were also the beginning of the “Historical Axis” (later completed via the Champs Elysées, the Arch of Triumph etc.). I plan to revert with a post about the Tuileries Gardens later this year, when the season makes them look nicer; leaves on the trees, flowers...). Today – and in a coming post – I will concentrate on the statues in the Gardens.

There are more than hundred of them, including a large number of white marble statues, a majority from the 19th century, but some are older (17th, 18th century). A few are moulded and the originals can be found at the Louvre or elsewhere. Among the better known artists you can notice G. Coustou and his uncle A. Coysevox who made the statue you can see on the top picture: “Fame of Louis XIV” which dates from 1702 and was placed here in 1719 (removed from the Marly Castle).

Among the older statues there are also a few in bronze from the 19th century (A. Carles – “Return from hunting” - and A.N. Cain)... ... and also four by Auguste Rodin, including a bronze version of the famous “Kiss”, placed just in front to the “Orangerie” building. (Marble version at the Rodin museum – see previous post.)
There are also a number of more modern statues and sculptures. I will revert on this on Monday.

... in the meantime, I wish you a nice weekend!

(I got a request to see the individual photos on my previous "snow post". I have put them "in full" and as a slideshow on Ipernity.)