Architecture · Monarchies · Heritage · Paris

The Vendôme Column in Paris from its erection in 1807 to its destruction in 1871

This is how the Vendôme Column might have looked, erected by Napoleon in 1807 in honour of the victory at Austerlitz. The associations are no accident: the form does indeed match the message. The original in the end differs little from the prototype, save for a somewhat widened viewing platform

Paris · People · Pop Culture

Elegance is the right combination of distinction, naturalness and simplicity

Christian Dior

NB! · Art · Paris

Robert Doisneau's Eiffel Tower, 1965

NB! · Archaeology · Museums · Paris · Ethnography

On the bright spring festival of Nauryz, let us recall the exhibition of treasures from the steppes of Kazakhstan at the Musée Guimet in Paris, which is open for its last three days

Coming Up · Architecture · Art · Museums · Paris

Exhibition of architect Hans Hollein at Gallerie 4 of the Centre Pompidou until June

The Centre Pompidou has closed, but there is still a reason, and a chance, to visit it. Gallerie 4, which remains open until June, is currently hosting an exhibition of the architect and conceptual artist Hans Hollein (1934–2014), who worked in extreme design and architecture for more than fifty

Architecture · Faith · Heritage · Paris

Damaged Notre-Dame limestone to be raffled for France's endangered religious heritage

Notre-Dame de Paris is raffling about fifty stones from its historic façade among those who donate €40 or more to the cathedral's restoration before 4 April 2025. Fragments of limestone that proved too badly damaged for reuse have been cut into pieces weighing from 800 grams, each

Architecture · Art · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Paris

About 2,000 works from the museum will go to French and foreign museums

Today one of the finest museums of modern art, the Centre Pompidou, closes for five years of renovation. Around 2,000 works of art will be dispatched to other French and foreign museums. Part of the museum's collection can be seen quite soon, for instance, at the Grand

Archaeology · Museums · Paris

Bronze Tyche found in Paris in 1675 and regarded as the patron goddess of Lutetia

The goddess of chance Tyche was depicted not only with a cornucopia and a ship's rudder, but also wearing a crown in the form of city walls. Popular in the Hellenistic age, the goddess was regarded as the patroness of cities. Female statues with a fortress tower on

NB! · Paris · Pop Culture · Society Pages · Humour

Brigitte Macron and Anna Wintour before the Stella McCartney show

Brigitte Macron and Anna Wintour before the Stella McCartney show. And the unseen presence of Candace Owens

Archive · Architecture · Faith · Paris

Cathedral without its spire, draped in mourning for the funeral of the Duke of Orléans

The oldest photograph of Notre-Dame de Paris is a seven-centimetre daguerreotype of 1842 by Marc-Antoine Gaudin. If you have noticed, the cathedral is captured without its famous spire: it was taken down in the eighteenth century, having grown badly decrepit over six hundred years. The spire was

NB! · Cinema · Paris · Pop Culture · Humour

Catherine Deneuve Turns Up at the César Awards in a Monkey-Fur Coat?

Catherine Deneuve turned up at the César Awards ceremony in a monkey-fur coat? So she did kill her husband in «The Brand New Testament» after all?

A cream silk dress with a floral pattern, full sleeves and a wide skirt on a mannequin in a display case with a purple backdrop.

Museums · Mores · Paris · Pop Culture

Wedding dress of Balzac’s era at the “Lost Illusions” exhibition, Palais Galliera

A Wedding Dress of 1834. Silk fabric with floral decoration and a satin ground. Palais Galliera, Museum of Fashion of the City of Paris. Gift of the Countess de Castries. The dress is shown at the exhibition "Lost Illusions" as a typical wedding dress of the period, in