Architecture · Observations · Society · Paris

Graffiti on Paris buildings, the cost of removing it and the question of fines

Graffiti in Paris has climbed far above the ground floors, and it is becoming a real calamity. All the more so given what it costs to paint it over or wash it off. And it spoils the view considerably. But perhaps, if one were to fine people for daubing residential

Architecture · Observations · Heritage · Society

Watching Trump demolish part of the White House to build a vast ballroom of some 8,000 square metres, I think that America is approaching a perfect balance of the outer and the inner, a complete accord of form and idea

Watching Trump demolish part of the White House to build a vast ballroom of some 8,000 square metres, I think that America is approaching a perfect balance of the outer and the inner, a complete accord of form and idea. But the age of plenty is drawing to a

NB! · Architecture · Museums · Heritage · Paris

In the robbed Galerie d'Apollon, single, non-armoured glazing units in plain wooden frames have been installed

In the robbed Galerie d'Apollon, single, non-armoured glazing units in plain wooden frames have been installed. The maximum of protection is an "anti-vandal" film on the panes

Architecture · Observations · Heritage · Paris · Humour

Statues of the Molière Fountain in Paris taped up three years after its restoration

Wherever cultural monuments are restored, the monuments themselves somehow rarely come out as the winners. Take, for instance, the statues by the Molière fountain in Paris, restored three years ago for half a million euros. They are now in rather a strange state, patched up with masking tape in several

NB! · Architecture · Faith · The East · Society

In Tehran, the Saint Mary Metro Station Has Opened, Adorned with Images of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and a Christian Church

NB! · Aristocracy · Architecture · Faith · Art

Magnificent sculptures above the tomb of Louis de Brézé, husband of Diane de Poitiers, who died in 1531, in Rouen Cathedral

A high-rise tower under construction, with a crane, behind a glass building above city rooftops under a cloudy sky.

NB! · Architecture · Observations

Reflections on the tastes of people who admire modern high-rise architecture

When I see buildings like this, I wonder what guides the people who find them beautiful. Which books have they read, what did they dream of as children, what films do they love?

Architecture · Faith · Observations · Heritage · Society · Humour

Graffiti appears on Canterbury Cathedral walls at the initiative of the Church of England

Graffiti on the walls of Canterbury Cathedral, the chief Anglican church of Great Britain, built in 1070. This is the cathedral founded by Saint Augustine himself, and its walls have been disfigured with hideous tags. And do you know what? The graffiti on the walls of the Cathedral and Metropolitical

Architecture · Faith · Art

Filippo Lippi's last work, the frescoes of Spoleto Cathedral, where he is also buried

The frescoes of the Duomo in the Italian city of Spoleto are the last work of Filippo Lippi. They were executed on the commission of Cosimo de' Medici in 1466, together with Fra Diamante. The fresco of the Dormition of the Virgin is by Lippi; the other scenes in

Architecture · Observations · Society · Paris

Trump's triumphal arch project in the District of Columbia and the 1901 McMillan Plan

Trump plans a majestic triumphal arch opposite the Lincoln Memorial, and a pedestrian bridge leading to it with statues of American presidents in niches, for the 250th anniversary of American independence, to be celebrated in 2026. The project is grandiose and, naturally, designed to remain a monument to the Trump

Architecture · Monarchies · Heritage

Ludwig I built Walhalla near Regensburg in 1842, a memorial to eminent Germans

Catherine II Has Gone to Valhalla. In 1842 Ludwig I built Walhalla in Bavaria, a majestic memorial edifice to perpetuate the memory of outstanding Germans. Conforming precisely to the Greek architectural canon, the building, designed by Leo von Klenze, stands on a high bank of the Danube, 10 km from

Architecture · Art · Museums · Paris

Picasso Museum in Paris to be renovated from 2028 to 2030 at a cost of 50 million euros

Picasso Museum in Paris Announces Major Redevelopment by 2030. The Picasso Museum in Paris, which holds the largest collection of the artist's work in the world, with more than 5,000 works and 200,000 archival items, is preparing for a major redevelopment. The plans include a new