Art in Paris

Saturday night we went to the opening of the 104 (le CentQuatre). Or at least tried to. CentQuatre is the new multimedia art exhibition hall in the 19th arrondissement. It used to be the old city morgue and has been transformed into a gigantic space with dozens of ateliers and exhibition spaces (and if I am not mistaken was a couple of weeks ago the site for the Martin Margiela fashion show).

It was easy to find CentQuatre (a ten minute walk from the metro) - just follow the crowds. When we reached rue d'Aubervilliers, it became apparent that gaining entry would be a problem. Hundreds of people were corralled behind ropes on the sidewalk in front of the building but the huge glass doors were shut. Hundreds of others were in the street and on the sidewalk opposite. Through the glass you could see people inside but apparently they were filled to capacity. Occasionally the doors would open just a crack and let in a few people. The elderly couple standing next to us speculated who they were letting in. Probably the Mayor, she said to my husband. And the press. TV personalities most likely, her husband interjected. Politicians, she said. And on and on. What was clear was that we were most likely not getting in. So we decided to leave and come back another time.

We walked down to the Canal d'Ourcq towards the Stalingrad station. The weather was unseasonlly warm so we sat down at an outdoor café. We ordered a house bottle of Bordeaux, tarte au chevre and steak au poivre et frites. Simple and cheap. Not the evening we anticipated but much better than being crushed by crowds of people.

I don't mind (at least not always) the crowd one walks through daily in the city, but not the mass of people gathering for an event (or the subway during rush hour). I much prefer smaller, quieter affairs. During the summer a former colleague's friend took us to an opeining at the Passage de Retz in the Marais: a group show based loosely on the theme of insomnia. A very civilized event. Sangria and Soft drinks were served along with barrels of oranges and figs. The show was uneven but had a couple of pieces from two my favorite French artists: Sophie Calle and Anette Messenger. And I think I saw Viktor and Rolf...

Anyhow, I would like to return to le CentQuatre after some of the hype dies down. And we are planning a trip to the Jeff Koons exhibit in the Palace de Versailles this weekend with the kids. I hope they can behave...