Art and architecture

Apart from my global food discovery adventures, like any good tourist, I also enjoy a bit of art and architecture along the way. And I managed to see some really cool stuff in Paris and London.

I had the luxury of doing the museums in London with my own personal curator and art historian (thanks Caro!) on hand, which I have to say made the experience all that little more interesting. So at the V&A we started by being very impressed with the ...


Chandelier

in the entrance foyer. Caro was beside herself when we stopped to consult our map on a balcony and looked down into ...


Curator's ultimate dream

a stock room! And then I had an intake of breath moment or two in the glass room looking at the all the Tiffany, Limoges and Emile Gallé glass wear, as well as some of the more everyday ...


Art deco glass

The V&A has something for everyone, and I just loved these ...


Korean ceremonial kimonos

And travelling back and forth from Heathrow, one of London's well known buildings, where my Dad used to get on and off the train on his way to and from the tiny apartment in Kilburn where I spent my first year ...


Structural support at Paddington Station

So I left London for Paris, where finally, after 7 years of restoration, and several failed attempts of mine to see the collections, the Musée des Arts Decoratifs was open!


Foyer of the Musée des Arts Decoratifs

I'd been dying to get in here and was so happy to actually see the stunning art nouveau pieces in the jewellery collection that I know from my favourite coffee table books, as well as the incredible furniture collection, which covers 3 centuries including our own. And the temporary fashion exhibition was an awesome display of Jean-Paul Gaultier's work from the early and mid-80s, including all the costumes he designed for a modern ballet production back in 1986 - cool as (but no photos permitted inside - quel dommage!)

And there were really secret and quirky glimpses of Paris' landmarks to be found from inside the building.


Louvre pyramid view

And at the Centre Pompidou some fun and fabulous modern art, including sculptures by one of my faves ...


Alexander Calder

And where I fell completely in love with a photograph by one of France's hottest contemporary photographers, Eric Baudelaire, who just happened to be running a workshop while I was there ... shame of it is, I only discovered this after returning to Syama - bugger!


As you can see there is art everywhere in Paris - which suits me just fine!


Palais Royal

I loved the reflections in this shiny modern sculpture. And of course if you are a collector, there's plenty of time to wander through the 18e siècle ...


Passage

and pick up a piece by ...


Yves Klein!

The detail on some of the early 20th century buildings is just lovely,


Building on the Seine - 1905

And then there is ...


The dome - Au Printemps

And returing to the theme from my last post, check out this window display.


Ribbon shop

Such loveliness everywhere - it's almost too much!