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 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.
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Beautiful Brussels Jun 22, 2022 -
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