SHARING WITH ME

Antonio DONGHI, Cirque équestre,1927 At the Bonnard exhibition last week, I saw this poster and knew nothing about the exhibition at all. The poster was enticing don’t you think? I glanced through the catalogue when we were in the shop and decided that I would come back to see it. This would be the first time that I would see an Exhibition of Italian art which panned over 40 years. Vittorio Zecchin, Les Mille et Une Nuits, around 1914 In Italy in the early twentieth century the decorative arts were used to interpret the desire for progress of a nation that had only just found its unity. Cabinetmakers, ceramicists and glass-makers all worked together with the leading artists, creating a veritable "Italian style ». Bénitier, Fontaine sainte, 1921 Domenica Baccaini, Vase Envol de femmes,1909-1910 Adolfo Wildt, Auoportrait, 1909 Chaise pour le salon escargot , 1902 Elephant, 1934-35 Umberto Bellotto, Bottle, 1922 This period of e...

It’s rare if ever that I go to a museum on a Sunday. To make it really different, a Sunday holiday of a long weekend. These last weeks though have been rather closed in and as the day turned out to be quite beautiful. Off I went expecting to face the crowds. 

The Marmottan museum (which we have visited together on several occasions) is on the other side of Paris and takes me around 45 minutes to get there by public transport.  The metro was crowded and people looked hot and flustered. It was not a good sign. A very good introduction to the exhibition I was going to see. « The Invention of Privacy » the toilette. One of the things that really struck me when I arrived in Paris as a teenager, were the bodily smells. People did not shower, wash or bathe as we did in Australia. It’s difficult to believe that over the years when I was working, I needed to point out to certain members of my staff that it would be a good idea if they used a deodorant……I’m not joking as oth...

The trip to Malaga had been booked since January. The last time I was there it had been for an International Marketing conference with Yves Rocher - that’s going back +30 years. I have one very vivid memory. A group of us had gone down to the beach after dinner and come back to my room. I don’t remember how many we were. A rather alcoholic evening has wiped that out. Even so I rang down for a bottle of champagne. 30 minutes later a boy brought up a « bottle of shampoo » on a tray. The howls of laughter still ring in my ears…..it was a memorable moment for another reason too. Quite obviously, the Spanish were not too good at languages. Champagne and Shampoo may sound alike….but. 30 years later and after many trips to Spain, the Spaniards are not linguists and as before, this trip would prove me right. Even a young lass at the reception of my very good hotel, had to ask someone to translate what I had asked for. « Could I leave my luggage here? » . There is so much I l...