October 31, 2009 by Genevieve Sandifer
Donald Urquhart’s An Alphabet of Paris (Arletty to Zizi) — Courtesy of artinfo.com
Last weekend marked the end of one of Paris’ most feverish cultural weeks during which 4 contemporary art fairs competed for the attention of collectors, journalists, galleries and museums who had come from near and far to take the contemporary art world’s pulse.
Mariano Vargas, Helen — courtesy of cutlog.org
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April 29, 2009 by Genevieve Sandifer
Ah, the concept store. Prescriptive, arrogant, attractive, alternately kitschy-cheap and prohibitively expensive; it’s hard to avoid mixed feelings when dealing with these store-size display cases of “cool”. Except, that is, if you wander up the Rue Vieuville in Montmartre and stop by Spree on a lazy, sunny afternoon.
This gallery/boutique was started 8 years ago by low-key creative couple Roberta Oprandi and Bruno Hadjadj, she a designer, he an artist, with the unambiguous purpose of allowing their inspirations to mingle and match.
Whereas fad-meccas like Colette inevitably make you feel like you’re walking into a museum where the docents are the judges and executors of trendy, Spree manages to elusively walk the line of cozy, intriguing and unpretentious. Continue Reading »
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