Fabrique 4
  • 13
  • Jan
  • 2009

A lot of chefs dream of a simple yet good price/quality restaurant where they can come and have a nice meal. Such a bistro is Fabrique 4. Van Gorp (topchef at the Market) was looking for an unconvenient place and found an old broquante shop in the 17th Arr. , he refurbished the place and made a creative menu.

Subtile dim-sums with gambas and grilled shiitake mushrooms give a nice explosion of tastes. The fish is cooked perfectly yet special with pumpkinfilled ravioli and roasted pumkinseeds. The meat is great , soft as butter and makes a good combination with spinach mixed with basilic an wasabi.

When Van Gorp does not find the right ingredients he has no problem to import them himself. The price of the menu is ok:  10 euro – starter and 15-17 euro-  main dish. Fixed lunch : one dish, one glas of wine or beer, one coffee : 20 euro.

Fabrique 4, Rue Brochant, 75017 Paris, tel. 01 58 59 06 47, M° Brochant

Russian Avant-Garde at Musée Maillol 13/11/2008 – 02/03/2009
  • 13
  • Jan
  • 2009

This collection is an extraordinary collection of Russian avant-garde art from the 1920s, including works by leading exponents of constructivism.

The prestigious and mythic Costakis collection will be shown for the first time in France. This private collection, which includes 1,300 works, is the world’s most important body of Russian abstract art and is housed today in the Thessaloniki State Museum of Contemporary Art. It was painstakingly assembled by a passionate and knowledgeable enthusiast, a Greek man who had spent almost all his life in Moscow.

Through more than 200 works, the Musée Maillol with present its essential and most surprising pieces, including examples by famous artists such as Rodchenko, Lissitzky, Tatline, Popova, as well as lesser known artists, and some never shown in France, such as Kudriashev, Redko, Anders, Nikritin …

Musée Maillol, 61, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, M° Rue du Bac

David Seidner
  • 13
  • Jan
  • 2009

David Seidner was an incredibly talented American photographer who died  at the peek of his career. His experimental style always had class and exquisite taste. He was widely known as a fashion photographer, doing campaigns for the most prestigious design houses. In the early 80’s when Yves St. Laurent hired him, he was the youngest photographer ever to do ad campaigns for the designer. Besides his commercial work, was a serious artist and portrait maker who had a super precise eye for details, truly turning photos into art.

The space of the Fondation has been totally stripped of any ornamentation and decoration and transformed into two minimalist rooms. When you walk up the steps of the 18th century hotel particulier, you enter a dramatic, pitch-black room with the only light coming from behind the photos. On the right wall is an early series of black and white works in a fragmented style from the late 70’s and early 80’s inspired by composer John Cage.
After the black room you step up to the next part of the exhibit, which is a fluorescent white room with a series of nudes.

This is a must-see exhibition, very stunning and sublime.

David Seidner, Fondation Pierre Berger- Yves St. Laurent, 5 Ave. Marceau,75016 Paris, M° Alma Marceau
Open 11AM-6PM except Sunday