Beautiful Brussels
I arrived in Brussels at 9:30 AM this morning. That meant It was 1:30 AM in Santa Fe and I had been flying and exploring airport food courts for about 18 hours. My Santa Fe mind and body were telling me it was past my bedtime and that bed in the Warwick Hotel was calling me, but my common sense was telling me that it was 9:30 AM and time for breakfast and a “walk-about”. I knew that if I succumbed to that idea of taking a...
The Last Time I Saw Paris It Was Like A Ghost Town
During one of those pandemic nights, I calculated I have spent 180 days in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in Paris over the course of the last 8 years. One of my favorite streets there is rue de Buci. It is lined with cafes and always crowded, except for that day in late March of 2020 when I walked out of my apartment to rolled up awnings and widows full of stacked chairs and made my way the one block to Boulevard...
A Quiet Paris
I know there is a lot going on in everyones lives right now, but I did feel that I owe those of you that follow my blog, an update. I am currently holed up in my apartment in Paris. Everything is closed except grocery stores and fortunately, I do have one my street two doors away and supplies are not a problem. My only hardship comes from knowing the possibilities now shuttered just outside my door. I know that three blocks away, when...
Amsterdam 2020
I am safe and sound in Amsterdam, but I have had my usual bout with jet lag that seems to get worse with my age. It is difficult to come from Santa Fe and suddenly tell your body that you know it is 11 PM in Santa Fe, but it is time to get up and have breakfast where you are. Do not misunderstand me. I am in Amsterdam and I am loving it. Saturday night I went to the Concert hall or Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and listened to the Royal...
It’s Never Too Late for Paris
My excitement level is building like a tidal wave. I am only two weeks away from heading back to Europe. I cannot wait to be spending the next two months gazing upon incredible art, eating incredible food and seeing old friends and meeting new ones. On January 21st I was 74 years old, but you should know that my very first trip to Paris was in 2011 when I was 65. Before that, the extent of my travel out of this country had been...
The Glorious Museums of Paris
Paris has always been a magnet for artists of all kinds. Maybe they came because they knew they would find people here who understood them and appreciated what they were trying to do. I am not sure anyone knows exactly why, but the French have always seemed to have an understanding of how important a role the arts play in nourishing the soul and encouraging the human sprit. The French Ministry of Culture and Communications has a...
Art Paris Art Fair
You know I am an art history junkie, but I have really come to appreciate art in all of its forms. If someone creates something that causes you to pause and focus on its beauty to the exclusion of all else in the world, even for a precious moment, that is art. I know that is the broadest of definitions, but it is really what it is all about. If you are engrossed in the sounds of a symphony by Mozart, the spectacle of an Opera by...
I Will Always Have Paris
I have been in Paris for 6 days and it is not been the typical 6 days in Paris. The reason is that I am fortunate enough to still have about 3 weeks to go so there is no reason to rush. I arrived by train Thursday the 21st from Maastricht and focused on getting settled in my vrbo.com apartment in Saint Germain de Pres on the left bank. This was the sixth time I have stayed in this neighborhood so I know it well. I headed out to the...
Beauty in Maastricht in March
Visual beauty is often simply defined as a combination of qualities, such as line, color, and form, that pleases the aesthetic senses. When you look at something and you feel pleasure, you are experiencing the effects of visual beauty. I know people may long deliberate the definition, but there is one thing I am certain of, I know where you can find it every year for 11 days March and that is at The European Fine Art Fair or TEFAF in...
The Royal Concertgebouw and Gustav Mahler
Whenever I am going to travel anywhere I always check the local cultural calendar to see if there may be something worth getting tickets to see and when I am headed to Amsterdam I always check the schedule at the Royal Concertgebouw. I have never been disappointed and this visit was extra special. The word concertgebouw literally translates into English as concert building. In April of 2013 on the 125th Anniversary of its opening,...
The Rijksmuseum and Rembrandt
The Rijksmuseum boasts the largest collection of paintings by Rembrandt in the world and, moreover, the most representative example of all of his works. To mark the 350th anniversary of his death the museum is exhibiting everything in the collection at once for the first time ever. That includes 60 drawings, 300 prints and 22 paintings. I visited yesterday and it was spectacular. Rembrandt has always been known as the artist’s artist....
Déjà vu All Over Again
I will always remember standing in line at Continental’s gate C-128 in Newark Airport and looking up and the display and seeing “CO 54 9:20 PM Paris-Degaulle”. I recall trying to remain calm and act like a seasoned international traveler, but I was trembling inside as I tried to comprehend the fact that in about 7 hours I was actually going to be in Paris. You know the Paris that is the home of the...
The May New York Auctions!
The Rockefeller family art collection that will be auctioned this coming Tuesday, May 8th, at Christie’s in New York is projected to be the highest grossing single owner auction in history. There are other auctions within a three day period that contain the rest of the estate of David Rockefeller, the only surviving grandchild of John D. Rockefeller. David died in March of 2017 at 101 and he instructed his five children to give...
“The Last Supper”
It is 12:43 AM and it is now April 17 and I am looking at my bed knowing that I need to go there and sleep, but when I wake I will be focused on heading to Charles de Gaulle airport to get on that Air France plane and leave this place. I am anxious for my own bed, my friends in Santa Fe and the Tuesday night Blues Jam at El Farol, but I am going to miss Paris. I had a great walk-about this evening along the Seine and the little cream...
“The Quarter” in Montparnasse
My last FB post was a short video of the Saturday night activities at the Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower, but the Paris nights seem to go on and on. After I took that video I jumped on the Metro and headed for “The Quarter” in Montparnasse. I emerged from the subway at the Montparnasse tower for a great view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the observation deck 60 floors up. ...
The Mystery of the Côte d’Azur
My 10-day passage from Paris to the south has been dreamlike and as I took that last walk along the beach in Nice I was at peace. I am not exactly sure I knew what peace felt like until that moment. I know that is a pretty serious thing for a 72 year old man to say, but life is good right now for me and the feeling was very real. I am sure the sound and the rhythm of the waves, the blueness of the sea and the warmth of the...
A Day Full of Intense Emotions with Vincent and Pablo
I started the day by walking from my hotel in Saint Remy to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Hospital on the edge of town. It was a short distance, but it was a long journey. I have thought about visiting this place for some time and I have known it would be powerful. This was the asylum that Vincent Van Gogh committed himself to after the ear incident in Arles. Many of you know I am a huge fan of his and that I am frustrated with the...
I will Never Understand the Food in Paris
Every time I come to Paris I find myself somehow confused by the food. If you have been here I am sure you have tried to tell people about it or you have listened to people talk about the food here. Before my first trip to Paris I felt like “Yeh, I get it the food it good, but I mean how good can it be?” Then I started eating the food In Paris and that is when I began to wonder. How do they do this? I have had ceviche...
It’s So Good to be Back in Paris
I am so excited to be back in Paris settled in my favorite neighborhood in Saint Germain des Pres. My apartment is in the heart of the Buci market at 4, rue de Buci. I like “quaint” like the next person, but in a “nice place to visit, but I would not want to live there” kind of way. I love the excitement and the energy of my neighborhood and if someone says they know of an apartment on a quiet little street...
The Spectacular European Art Fair in Maastricht
I just reread the blogs I wrote about TEFAF in Maastricht over the last two years and I am not sure what to say anymore. I been fortunate to have had many great experiences in my life and I feel I have been able to aptly express my thoughts and emotions about those times, but I seem to have some difficulty clarifying my impressions of this phenomenon known as The European Fine Art Fair. Maybe it stems from my fervent fascination with...
Amsterdam Again, But it Never Gets Old
Things are much better now, but I did suffer from a case of what the Dutch call “Prolongen Jetlagen”. Do not tell that to anyone who speaks Dutch because I am not sure they know that’s what they call it. I believe it was caused by a combination of incidents. The first of which was taking the advice I had been given to “take this little white pill right after you get on the plane and it will help you...
The Amazing European Art Adventure 2018
It is only one week until another exciting art adventure begins and this one feels like it may be the best ever. The flight to Amsterdam is on March 1 and the next five days will be spent visiting the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk, the Kroller-Muller Museum and the sights of Amsterdam. A scenic 2 1/2 hour train ride to the south on March 7 will put me...
Au Revoir Paris
“There are a lot of wonderful beautiful cities in the world and then there is Paris”. George Clooney made that statement in a recent interview while in Paris for an awards show. I could not agree more. On March 1st I arrived in Amsterdam and the last 6 1/2 weeks have been difficult to describe and I realize I have only posted 11...
Van Gogh in Auvers and Freddy’s
There is a warm breeze blowing in the open door to my balcony and it is Sunday morning in Paris. I am not talking about singing birds early. It is technically still morning, but late enough that I can already hear the long cool moan of a street performer’s saxophone drifting its way down rue Mazarine from the Buci Market. I will have to grab some change off of the counter to drop in his hat to thank him for serenading my breakfast....
“Art Paris Art Fair” the Vernissage in the Grand Palais
“Art Paris Art Fair” returned for its 19th edition in 2017 at the Grand Palais with 139 modern and contemporary galleries from 29 countries showcasing the work of around 2200 artists spanning the post-war years to the present day. I was back for my 3rd year at the Vernissage and it did not disappoint. “Vernissage” is French for varnishing and, as the artists among you know, applying a clear coat of varnish is...
Out and about in Paris
The best part about an extended stay in Paris is having the time to wander about with no agenda. It is great to look at the calendar a see days with nothing in them. No Musee d’Orsay in the morning with lunch on the rue Montorgueil and then Musee Pompideaux in the afternoon. The weather has been unusually warm and sunny for late March in Paris and yesterday was no exception. I walked up rue Mazarine the two blocks to Boulevard...
Salon Du Dessin
The Salon Du Dessin is an annual event in Paris that is one of the most prestigious shows in the world and this year marked the 26th anniversary. Dessin is “drawing” in French and the show deals strictly with works on paper. That includes pencil or ink drawings and watercolors or gouache on paper. You will not find any oil on canvas here. It is held in the elegant Palais Brongniart in the Place de la Bourse. An interesting...
Bonjour Paris!
I took the train from Maastricht to Paris. It was a local from Maastricht to Liege, Belgium and then the high speed Thalys through Brussels to Paris. Local trains are very casual. There is a train every half hour from Amsterdam to Maastricht and you just walk into the station, buy a ticket and catch the next one. The high speed trains like Thalys, Eurostar, ICE and TGV all require reservations and seat assignments just like the...
TEFAF Tales- Julie Manet and the Cicada
First let me tell you about Julie Manet and that’s Julie with a long sweet “J” like Jacque not Jack. I wish you could hear Noemie from Eric Gillis gallery in Brussels say it “en Francais”. She introduced me to Julie last year and when I wanted to follow up, I had misplaced Noemi’s card. When you see something you like at an art or antique show and you hesitate, you often miss out. You come back and that spot on the wall or...
The Vernissage for TEFAF…WOW!
This is my third year attending the European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht and my second year attending the grand opening or “Vernissage”. If you are a fan of great art, fabulous food and the “best people watching ever” you would love this event. I wondered if there was any other event anywhere in the world that could compare so I asked several of the more important well traveled dealers their opinion. Everyone of them smiled and...
Arriving in Maastricht 2017
Maastricht is considered to be the oldest town in the Netherlands. If you look at a map of the Netherlands you will see a little bubble sticking off of the southeast corner of the country and that is primarily the province Limburg and that is where you will find its capital Maastricht on the Maas river about a 2 ½ hour train ride south of Amsterdam. Limburg is bordered on the south and west by Belgium, which is only a couple of miles...
The “Golden Age” and the Art of the Dutch
I have long been fascinated with the Dutch Golden Age. It spanned the 17th Century. The first half was dominated by the 80-year war with Spain, which ended in 1648 and continued in peacetime until around 1700. It has been estimated that between 5 and 10 million works of art were produced during this century although only about 1% survived. The wealth generated by the world trade by the Dutch ships dominated by the Dutch East India...
Tot ziens Amstelredam – Good bye for Now Amsterdam
I questioned a few locals as to why a city named after a dam on the Amstel River was called Amsterdam and not Amsteldam and no one seemed to know? I finally got an answer in the Amsterdam History Museum after seeing an old map labeled “Amstelredam”. That is the old way to spell and say Amsteldam and when it was spoken in Dutch others heard the “R” sound and not so much the “L” so the L disappeared and eventually the Dutch gave in and...
Welkom om Amsterdam
When I first planned this basic itinerary for my European journey three years ago I decided to start in Amsterdam. The focus of my trip has always been The European Fine Art Fair or TEFAF in Maastricht, Netherlands and then Paris. The nearest big airport was Schiphol (pronounced Skippoll) in Amsterdam or AMS to you frequent travelers. My original thought was to go there for a few days and be sure I made the 2 hour 30 minute train ride...
The Next Great Art Adventure
I am an excited boy sitting in the Albuquerque airport and it looks like everything is okay and on time. I am heading to Atlanta and then boarding my flight for Amsterdam. I left Santa Fe at 10 AM for the 1 hour ride to ABQ and I will arrive in Amsterdam at 10 AM tomorrow morning. The time difference is 8 hours so my total travel time from Santa Fe to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam will be about 16 hours. I will be staying at a hotel...
The Food in Paris
Paris Stories were written during a 2014 visit. My second meal in France was in “Le Voltaire”, a small cafe next to the Paris Flea market in Porte de Clignancourt. The waitress quickly realized that I did not speak French and she spoke to me in a way that elevated the English language to a new place in my world. Her lovely French accent added an air of sophistication that would make any Londoner jealous. She said that the lunch...
The Next Baguette
I am off again to Europe on March 1 and I have been away from this blog so long I need to remind myself how to use it. I hope you will stay tuned as I blog my way through another 6 weeks of museums, shows and galleries in Amsterdam, Maastricht and Paris. Sign-up at http://santafeartclub.com/ to receive updates if you have not already done so. I cannot wait for the journey to begin.
The Last Baguette… Au Revoir Paris
I remember when I planned this trip and lamented that it was 8 months away and now my two month odyssey has come to an end. I have had my last baguette in Paris for now and I am heading back to Santa Fe in the morning. I had my last supper in Paris tonight at the l’Avant Comptoir La Mer and last night it was l’Avant Comptoir. I have really enjoyed having these two great restaurants in my neighborhood. Their great tapas style French...
The Paris Art Fair and the Politics of Art in France
This was my second visit to “Art Paris” which is the fantastic Art Fair held every spring in the Grand Palais on the banks of the Seine. “Art Paris” is the leading fair for modern and contemporary art in Paris and this year it brought together 143 galleries from 22 countries. The venue itself is a work of art. The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais was built for the Universal Exposition of 1900. It was...
Ici C’est Paris-Here Is Paris
Whenever I travel anywhere I look for things to do that might be not be obvious additions to any itinerary. You will not find any of these events on the “Top 10 things to do in Paris” lists, but I contend that these kinds of things should be on the list if you really want to experience this wonderful city. I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you about some of those events I have attended that have really added to this...
The Musée d’Orsay
I have had the opportunity to visit many museums in my life, but I believe my favorite will always be the Musée d’Orsay here in Paris. It started life as a train station built on the left bank of the Seine to bring people into the center of Paris for the great Exposition of 1900, but by 1939 its short platforms could no longer handle the longer trains of the day. It has had several uses over time from a mailing center during WW...
A Rainy Day in Paris
I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the window. Most people, after wasting precious minutes complaining, would immediately think about finding a museum to spend the day in, but there is something about the simple pleasure of walking in the rain with an umbrella that has always transported me to a special place and I could not wait for the chance to do that in Paris. I had already made one foray into Montmartre, but I knew I...
Paris First Impressions
I am so sorry about not doing a better job of keeping up with the blog and after you read this I hope you will understand. I have lots of pictures and good notes and I will catch up. First know that I am having an incredible time in Paris. Every evening I come home and think about how I really have to write a blog or do a Facebook post about my amazing day at the Musee d’Orsay or walking down the Champs-Elysees or wandering...
Memories of Maastricht
The last five days at the European Fine Art Fair were very intense. After two days I could tell you with certainty that I had walked by all 275 stands and circled ones I wanted to return to because I saw a painting or an object that I wanted to spend time looking at or ask about. I know this because I dutifully marked my progress on my map of the site. The interesting thing is that the third day when I started retracing my steps it...
The European Fine Art Fair
It has been a couple of days since I attended the “Vernissage” of the “The European Fine Art Fair” or TEFAF in Maastricht. “Vernissage” is a term used for a preview of an art exhibition before the formal opening. The term is actually French for “varnishing”. Often artists would give the finishing touch to their works by varnishing them the night before the opening of an exhibition and it became a custom for patrons and the élite to...
Leaving Amsterdam
It is sad to leave a place like Amsterdam. The week went by so quickly, but what a week it was. If what follows seem like the ramblings of a boy in fantasyland it is because they are the ramblings of a boy in fantasyland. I saw lots of boats and bicycles and then I almost got run over by a bunch of people riding bicycles that were feverishly ringing little bells that were attached to their handlebars and yelling at me. I don’t...
The Museums of Amsterdam
I am having an incredible time on the first leg of my journey. Amsterdam is a beautiful international city. The Dutch have a deep respect for the United States and most of them speak English, especially those in the public eye like people in restaurants, shops and the Tram operators. A few have asked me about Trump. They seemed puzzled (as most of us are) about how a man like him could actually be considered for President and trust...
The Journey to Amsterdam
I had a great trip from ABQ to ATL to AMS which is Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. I left ABQ at 1:25 pm on March 2nd and after passing through Atlanta I arrived in Amsterdam 12 ½ hours later at a little after 10 am March 3rd. If you ever make this trip it is important to note when making hotel reservations that you will arrive the next day. Guess who made that mistake the last time? Okay it’s time for a geography lesson. The...
The Great Art Adventure
It all started the day I read that article from the February 10, 1958 issue of the Santa Fe New Mexican. It was recounting the memorial service that had been held the day before to remember the artist Alfred Morang. Alfred was the unofficial Mayor of the Santa Fe art community and he had died tragically in a fire a few days earlier. The director of the Art Museum Dr. Reginald Fisher was one of the people who spoke. Dr. Fisher ended...
Fawn in the Flowers
I took a lot of pictures in my backyard at 710 Camino Militar and this movie is one of the best....
Opening Night at Photo L A
Photo L A is an international photographic art exposition with over 50 dealers that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year at The REEF, located in the historic LA Mart building in Downtown Los Angeles and it features photographic art, ranging from 19th Century works to contemporary and innovative photo-based art. Galleries, dealers, museums, schools, and non-profit organizations participate to define what photography has been, what...
On the way to Los Angeles for the L A Art Show
I have always loved road trips. Maybe it comes from the old days when my world was all about race cars. In 1972 I was working for a car owner in Sacramento, CA and the racetracks we traveled to were all over the United States. That season I made 5 round trips across the country from the west coast to the east coast and I had so much fun I actually considered the possibility of a career as a long haul truck driver. I will always...
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Beautiful Brussels Jun 22, 2022 -
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