SHARING WITH ME

TO SING ,DANCE, AND STEAL - Diderot wrote that  very philisophical statement in the 18th century....related of course to Bohemia and that was what this yet again block buster exhibition which opened yesterday in Paris was all about.  Bohèmes....what immediately comes to mind when you hear, read or say that word???? For me it’s colour, artist, theatre, dance, music, singing....Carmen...temptation, seduction, marginal.... and I could go on. Of course, there is the dramatic, dark  and sad side to Bohemia and that's what it seemed to be. From my point of view this turned out to be one of the most macabre exhibitions I may have seen. Dark, texts which were very difficult to read as printed in grey lettering on light backgrounds....and a lighting which made me feel I was wandering through a funeral parlour  rather than bohemia. The figure of the Bohemian first appeared in the mid-19th century, between Romanticism and Realism, at a time when the artist’s status was undergoing a profo

It was only a week after the Fjords when I left for Helsinki. This had been planned for months and I was looking forward to seeing close friends again. It is the Designer Year in Finland - the same we had visited with Laurent and Jerome in Turkey two years ago. What I had seen in Istanbul had not been remarkable - or rather, should I say, «bitty» as there were a few good things and other creations which were not to our liking. Was Helsinki to be the same? 
 «She» had her autumn dress on for me and the colours were magic. Some trees seemed to be half red, half yellow and yet still quite green. I had not seen this before, not even in Canada or New Jersey where the colours are renowned for their glory. The wild fruit and mushrooms were everywhere - to the extent that I said «perhaps we should start a stall on the market place.....?» So many greens, so many colours - this was design in itself. Another country to come later in the week.... From the Kitchen Yellow skies

Lucio Fontana Attese 1967 A day at home and I was off again. This day trip had been planned for months as I wanted to go to Aix en Provence to see the Frieder Burda collection. I knew nothing about this collecter but it was his collection that interested me. Remarkable consisting of Picasso’s work as well as German and American art from the 20th century to the present day. A collection which started some 40 years ago by this German businessman who is passionate about modern and contemporary painting. He said                              «Art collecting is supreme happiness» I guess it is when you have money behind you to do so. His family background helped him to become one of the richest private collectors in Germany and possibly in Europe. Since 2004 he has a museum in Baden-Baden (have never been there...) and of course if something comes up, I will undoubtedly go. He started his collection with a Lucio Fontana. I am not a lover of his work but when I went into Intern