Have you ever heard of Dalida? She was a larger-than-life beauty queen, turned singer, originally from Egypt. I use “Laissez-moi danser” and “Je suis malade” in class and my students are usually rather overwhelmed by all that she was. Recently, her brother donated many of her old stage costumes to the Palais Galliera and the exhibit is on now through August 13, 2017. Whether in ready-to-wear or haute couture, Dalida dazzled her way through the New Look in the 50s to disco in the 80s. In addition to the extravagant gowns she wore to perform, you can also see her glamorous day wear. The French equivalent of “larger-than-life” is hors du commun, (or due com-mun), and that phrase fits Dalida as perfectly as one of her slinky dresses.
Very Best of Dalida
There’s a lot of overlap in the exhibits on in Paris this summer. I recently wrote about the photo exhibit about gardens at the Jardin du Luxembourg. The Grand Palais, just off the Champs Élysées, has an exhibit simply entitled Jardins (shjar-dahn) featuring art works inspired by gardens. Six centuries of gardens, spanning the Renaissance to modern times, including works by Fragonard, Monet, Cézanne, Klimt, Picasso, and Matisse. Just as a real garden appeals to all senses, this exhibit will have many different types of works, in addition to paintings, including sculptures, photography, and displays of sounds and scents. This exhibit is on now and will continue until July 24, 2017.
When I think of France, I often think, not of monuments, but of gardens. After all, I live about thirty seconds from the Jardin du Luxembourg in the summer. Some days are so busy that’s as far as I get to go. Each year, there is an exhibit of world-class photos on the fence that surrounds the garden. On now, through July 24, 2017, you can admire the free, open-air exhibit entitled “Jardins extraordinaires” (shjar-dahn ex-tra-or-deen-air) that showcases gardens that have received the designation of being a “Remarkable Garden” by the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Some are contemporary photographs by Jean-Baptiste Leroux while others are historical pictures just of the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’ll make a beautiful walk in the park even lovelier.
What would Paris be without an exhibit dedicated to fashion? This one is quite unusual; the fashion museum, the Palais Galliera, is presenting Balenciaga: L’Oeuvre au noir at the 
Balenciaga was inspired by the black robes of religious orders. In speaking of Balenciaga, Christian Dior said, “Le vêtement était sa religion” (luh vet-mehn et-ay sah ray-li-jhe-ohn), which means “Clothing was his religion.” I’ve seen a Balenciaga exhibit before and I can only imagine how beautiful the clothes will look in this spare and beautiful setting with its beautiful light, almost like a cathedral. The exhibit is on until July 16, 2017.
A visit to the musée Jacquemart-André is always on my must-do list when I visit Paris. This year, my visit must be prior to July 10 to catch De Zurbarán à Rothko, an exhibit culled from the personal and corporate collection of Alicia Koplowitz.
Koplowitz is the head of Spanish investment firm Grupo Omega Capital. She bought what she liked, starting with a piece of Sèvres porcelain, purchased at an auction in Paris many years ago. Her biography on the website refers to how the art acquisitions “ont jalonné” the great stages of her personal and professional life. Jalonner means “to punctuate” or “to define.” Get a promotion, buy a masterpiece. Not a bad way to celebrate.
The collection crosses centuries, continents and genres — much the way the Jacquemart-André permanent collection does. The 52 works prominently feature the portraits of women that Koplowitz prefers. The only questions that I need to resolve are, will I have brunch or lunch at the beautiful café and will I dine before or after I see the exhibit?
A few days ago, I wrote about an exhibit dedicated to 
Pissarro started out as an Impressionist, then switched to neo-Impressionism, also known as pointillism, and then back to Impressionism. This exhibit focuses on the years 1886 to 1994, the pointillism years. (Follow this 
Why would Pissarro be an ardent neo-Impressionist and then switch back? Apparently, the answer lies in money. Pissarro had a family to support and painting in the pointillist manner was so much more time consuming that his revenue fell to the point that he needed to make a change. In addition, the art buying public was not too sure about this new technique. I wish I could go back in time and scoop up a few dozen canvases from a time when this pointilleux technique was not appreciated.
