Not to miss: an exceptional and luxurious paravent in lacquerware dating to 1932 realized by Louis Midavaine (1888-1978), founder of the internationally renowned Atelier Midavaine dynasty. The paravent with two polar bears on an ice field with a third swimming, is on display in the decorative art halls at the Palais de Tokyo. The Atelier Midavaine bears the designation of Entreprise de Patrimoine Vivant, a national award for excellence of French know-how. Curiously, Louis Midavaine first learned the Asian lacquer technique while being held prisoner during WWI, the Germans having called upon Chinese artisans to lacquer the wooden propellers of their fighter planes.
The Palais de Tokyo, which houses the city of Paris' Museum of Modern Art, today has also become a major venue of contemporary art. The building overlooks the Seine at 13 avenue du President Wilson and is one of three remaining permanent structures built for the 1937 International Exposition in Paris.
Vocabulary
un ours polaire: a polar bear
une banquise: an ice field
une laque: a lacquerware object
un paravent: a folding screen
©2013 P.B. Lecron
No comments:
Post a Comment