Paris in Photos

Faceboof comes to Paris, Boulevard Soult August 4, 2014
A Parisian friend made me laugh when he posted a photograph of Faceboof in the 12th arrondissement (boulevard Soult). The company faceboof launched in April 2014, and not only does the logo look mighty familiar, but the old thumbs up ‘like’ has been emulated too. Face boof provides fast food such as sandwiches, hot dogs, […]
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Paris Winter Light and more random musings March 4, 2011
Spring is encroaching, so I thought it important to get at least one entry in before another season is upon us. The last few months have been a blur, and continue to be hectic, hence my lack of recent posts. During the past few days, I’ve been getting up early and washing in the kitchen […]
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Paris in the Fall (Autumn Colours) November 3, 2010
I like the American description for the autumn season – the Fall. It so succinctly describes my favourite time of the year. The temperatures in Paris have dropped, but I love the mild autumn breeze on my face, and the warm spectrum of autumnal leaves as they repave the floor. Avenue Mozart, 75016 On a […]
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A post on La Poste – mini Parisian dramas October 21, 2010
A post on La Poste; not terribly exciting perhaps when I still have stories about Operatic restaurants, journeys to remote parts of the French Confolentais countryside, and the fact that another Bébé Têtard is due next March. I’ve just returned from a trip to the post office, and between here and the supermarkets, I find […]
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Museogames : retro computer gaming in Paris September 28, 2010
What do you do when your guest has no love for art, architecture, history and culture in a city that oozes in old-worldy charm? This was the challenge I faced when my sister’s boyfriend came to stay, although fortunately I’d caught something about Museogames on TV: a retro computer games exhibition in Paris. Although I […]
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Pere Lachaise revisited: RIP Morrissey, Fish and Chips, Curry and Broken Penis Paperweights September 21, 2010
It’s been a while since I last stopped by the Pere Lachaise cemetery, but as my little sister and her boyfriend had stopped over for a few days, I took the opportunity to visit with them. My sister lives in her own strange bubble full of child naivety, and I’m always guaranteed she will unintentionally […]
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My ten year old guitar riff appears on Télématin (France 2) TV this morning September 9, 2010
The damndest thing happened this morning. I was working on my computer early this morning, with the TV on in the background behind me. It was Télématin on France 2 with their daily breakfast show, but I wasn’t paying any attention. Like many French shows, they use a lot of musical clips from many famous […]
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Return to England August 18, 2010
I am still here in Paris, but I recently took a brief return to England to see my niece for the first time and to celebrate her first birthday. Although my life in Paris has only amounted to little over two years, it was still a strange experience to observe English traditions and behaviour having […]
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Paris Botanical Gardens – Jardin des Serres August 4, 2010
This is another local park where I can walk with Bébé Têtard. It sits on the edge of Bois de Boulogne and just up the road from the local Carrefour supermarket. The garden was originally created under order of Louis XV in 1761, and was later transformed between 1895 and 1898 by Jean-Camille Formigé to […]
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Bastille Day, Storms and an end to the Paris Heatwave July 15, 2010
Yesterday saw a ravenous and much needed storm in Paris, lasting several hours, and soaking any tourist who hadn’t taken shelter in a museum or bistro. This past fortnight has been quite hellish. When the sun comes it takes a couple of days, but consecutively hot days superheat the pavements, streets and courtyards, which in […]
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Lucian Freud Exhibition, Pompidou Centre Paris

This post was written by admin on June 21, 2010
Posted Under: Daily Paris

Whilst Madame Grenouille took care of Bébé Têtard yesterday, I visited the Pompidou Centre in Paris with her opera singer friend, to see Lucian Freud’s painting exhibition. Now aged 88 and described as a living master; I’d seen one or two paintings by Sigmund Freud’s grandson in the UK, but never so many of his works congregated beneath one roof. At 12 euros a ticket, the entrance isn’t cheap (although you could use it to visit the other exhibitions inside the Pompidou Centre), but I was eager to visit, especially having missed J M W Turner’s art exhibition at the Grand Palais the other month.

lucian freud, pompidou paris, freud exhibition
Copyright, Lucian Freud

“They” describe Lucian Freud as one of the most (if not the most) important living masters, but I’m not sure who “they” are supposed to be. I can think of a number of living artists who are arguable better in technique, skill and draftsmanship than Freud, but then the subjective nature of art is a fickle thing. I think where Freud succeeds is in his distinct, intense and personal interpretations of his subjects. Some of the earlier draftsmanship and academic technique of his youth gave way to a different thick impasto style of painting. Some of the first paintings I saw had inaccurate distortions in perspective, but Freud made it work. Rather than a painting that was mechanically correct, the size of the paintings (which can’t be appreciated via a book or on the Internet) sucked you in with their warped perspective of everyday items be it a sofa or a plant pot. Some of the anatomy was also out, but give me impasto skin tones over a new breed of artist who meticulously copies all aspects of a photograph, any day of the week.

two plants, lucian freud, pompidou paris
Copyright, Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud himself comes across as bashful and very reticent in actual life, though his paintings certainly do not, and whilst not controversial in an Egon Schiele erotic sense, Freud is in no way conventional. Certainly a worthwhile visit. The exhibition closes on the 19th July.

sue tilley, lucian freud painting, france, paris
Copyright, Lucian Freud