Sure, Ladurée makes darn fine croissants, and the best macarons ever.
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But the fine delights for your palette are just smidgin of what you will see here at Paris-Photo, and all around Paris.

We took in the Patrick Demarchelier exhibit at the Petit Palais. The concept of organizing this master’s show is genius.
Admittedly, when you first enter the exhibit, the photos are displayed amongst antiquities from the museums collection. They are poorly lit, glarey and honestly a disappointment.
BUT………….

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Then you are hit with gestalt of the show in the first room: a massive, open air partial rotunda, with paintings from classical masters, surround with Demarcheiliers work.

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[photopress:PF8_0967.jpg,full,centered] Lady Di and her children are grouped with this tortured painting

It was a physical shock to the system at first, then you back up, get the full look, and then you go closer to see each image, then back up again as it snaps into clear view again.

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This goes on and on throughout the main floor as you weave into the wooden framed paintings, purposefully sprinkled with the photographs.

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OK, all well and good. However, for the purists, there is another entire gallery with straight prints also in groupings, to satiate your desire for a series.

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Along the halls leading up to the auditorium, you can stop for hours and check out all of the contact sheets that led to the show, and decide for yourself why an image choice was made.

I know, the shots here haven’t given you the detail of the images. Kind of the point, really. Something that truly has to be experienced.
However, Steidl, just put out an excellent compilation book of his work.

Honestly have never seen a museum try so hard to incorporate it’s DNA with that of a featured artist. It works, though.

That gut blast at first was jarring but then settled down as the viewing experience presented to us, became obvious. By the time the next section downstairs was met, the standard exhibit setting was like a downshift: still purring along, without the challenging high.
Truly, huge congratulations to all who produced this massive curatorial undertaking. Your brilliance is inspiring.

Anyway, if you’re in Paris by january 4th, you’ve got to check it out :

PETIT PALAIS, MUSEE DES BEAUX ARTS DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
Avenue Winston Churchill 75008 PARIS
Metro : Champs Elysées Clemenceau
tel: 01 53 43 40 00

And ,if you prefer your photo books signed, there are many artists putting ink to paper with perhaps your name inscribed at top, if you like, at Paris-Photo.
The range of work this year is not to be missed.
Yes, we will post a full photo gallery, and links to most of the artists represented.
And we did find a pretty special, unique artists work, that we will be giving away in our weekly giveway.

Oh, yeah, how about this: a FULL month of photo exhibits, events and more all of NOV., all over Paris. Sound good ? check this site for details. Way too many things to even approach listing.
By the way, all over Europe there are “Month Of Photography” celebrations and exhibits.
Vienna, Berlin, Bratislava, Luxembourg, Moscow, and Rome

Right, and the videos we have shot so far have some first looks at items for our readers.
Editing once we return of the Land Of LA though.
Someones got to see this work and eat those delights. Might as well be us. Sharing with you.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Photo News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.