For months clients have been asking me on my Marais tour what the structure was in the distance with the white plastic scaffolding and photos around it. I told them it was the Pantheon under renovation and the photos were by JR, who’s photo murals have graced public spaces all over the world mostly in major cities. What I didn’t know until recently was there was a JR installation inside the Pantheon.
Last week I got the opportunity to see it and walking into to the vestibule, I was taken by a sea of hundreds of faces staring up at me from the floor. I loved the contrast of the present day faces in black and white against classic architectural elements of limestone Corinthian columns and classic frescoes.
JR uses a photographic collage technique to display his work in more public type spaces than museums as to make them more accessible to the public. The themes of the photos are political commitment, freedom, identity, and boundaries. For the Pantheon exhibit, he has assembled 4000 portraits representing 132 nationalities and they cover the 2000-meter tarpaulin on the dome, 260 meters of the cupola inside and 800 meters of the floor space.
“ To the names of the great whose memory is kept alive here are added thousands of anonymous faces, people who may become the great names in the future…” – JR
Read my blog post about the JR installation on the Ile St. Louis I wrote about in 2009.
http://www.ipreferparis.net/2009/10/eyes-prefer-paris.html
The inside installation is until October 4th
The outside installation is until the renovation is complete
Place du Pantheon, 75005
Metro: Maubert-Mutualite
Open 10AM to 6PM daily
http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr /en
My Paris Apartment for Rent
I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from November 30 to December 16, a total of 17 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with a large elevator.
The price is 2800 euros/165 per night for 17 nights, 1500 euros for 7 nights, and anything in between 7 & 15 nights, 175 euros per night. Minimum rental 7 nights or 1500 euros. Photos upon request.
Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested.
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
