Art
A French History of Gold, Gilded, and Fancy Frames
Walk into a gallery of 17th- or 18th-century French paintings and prepare to be blinded by the gilding that encircles each work like an overwrought halo.
France
News
A Petition to Stop "Irresponsible" Restoration of Chartres Cathedral
A new petition against the cathedral's restoration claims work done over the past six years has irreversibly damaged the 800-year-old building and erased centuries of the history that makes it so special.
Art
The Story of France’s Mini Bastilles, Made from the Infamous Prison’s Rubble
Today is France's national holiday, known abroad as Bastille Day, and perhaps you have wondered: what became of all that stone after the goliath Bastille prison was stormed on July 14, 1789?
News
French National Railroad's Open Call for Art Offers Neither Money Nor Rights
In May, France's national railroad, the SNCF (or Société nationale des chemins de fer français), put out an open call for artists to propose temporary projects for 16 of its properties that are disused or currently awaiting renovation.
News
French National Railroad's Open Call for Art Offers Neither Money Nor Rights
In May, France's national railroad, the SNCF (or Société nationale des chemins de fer français), put out an open call for artists to propose temporary projects for 16 of its properties that are disused or currently awaiting renovation.
News
In Place of Love Locks, a Paris Bridge Gets Street Art
Francophiles were heartbroken last week when French authorities removed the iconic padlocks that lovers have been attaching to the Pont des Arts bridge for decades.
Art
Photographs from the Forgotten Underground Tunnels of World War I
Over a century after World War I broke out in Europe, the earth still bears its mutilations.
News
New French Report Zooms In on Field of Photography
Anecdotally, most people would probably agree that photography has changed more dramatically over the last 15 years than any other sector of visual art.
Art
From Creepy Kids' Books to Puckish Erotica, an Illustrator's Improbable Oeuvre
French illustrator Tomi Ungerer has worn many hats, none of them obviously compatible with any of the others. A cartoonist, political satirist, and illustrator of both children’s books and sadomasochistic erotica, he has designed a cat-shaped kindergarten for a German school and condoms for a French
News
France Reduces Tax on Artworks Sold by Their Makers
France just made it a little easier for artists to sell their work directly to collectors.
Books
The Graphics of the Great War in France
More than any conflict before it, World War I was a visual battle. Propaganda proliferated across the fronts, and magazines, newspapers, photography, early films, and even fashion and children's books were involved in a rally of imagery on a large scale.
In Brief
French President Pledges Support for Paul McCarthy's Butt Plug
France's chief of state has pledged his support for the American artist Paul McCarthy, after the artist's 80-foot-tall inflatable sculpture "Tree," which bares an uncanny resemblance to a butt plug, proved intolerable to prudish Parisians.