News

Henri Matisse at the Centre Pompidou

Story of a life lived for art. This could be the subtitle of the exhibition devoted to Henri Matisse at the Centre Pompidou.
Entitled “Matisse as a novel”, it pays tribute to the painter on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth. To be seen until 22 February 2021.

Why should you go and see “Matisse comme un roman”?
Because this exhibition brings together major works by the artist, some of which have not been seen in France since 1970. Works from prestigious French and international, public and private collections.
Because these works are so many milestones that allow us to retrace Matisse’s long career. In all, more than five decades of creation and exploration that have left their mark on modern art.

Why this title “Matisse as a novel”?
To evoke the painter’s trajectory, the Centre Pompidou has chosen to highlight the text/image entanglement that inhabits his work. The exhibition is thus divided into nine chapters. Each chapter is illuminated by an author’s view of Matisse’s work: Louis Aragon, Georges Duthuit, Dominique Fourcade, Clement Greenberg, Charles Lewis Hind, Pierre Schneider, Jean Clay and Henri Matisse himself. These chapters will take you on a chronological tour of the artist’s career, from his beginnings to the 1950s.
An exhibition to devour, therefore, as one would devour the pages of a novel. The novel of a singular life and work. You will see paintings, drawings, sculptures, illustrated books, and of course the famous gouache cut-outs made at the end of his life.

In November, bring colour into your life with the Matisse exhibition and sweetness into your nights at the Appia Hotel!

Stroll around the Saint-Martin canal

Close to the Appia Hotel, the Canal Saint-Martin offers a pretty promenade. That’s a good thing! In October, the weather is still mild enough to enjoy walks in the open air. Ideal to keep the virus at a distance but also to admire the capital in its autumn clothes.

Between the Bassin de la Villette and the port of l’Arsenal, the Saint-Martin canal carries its peaceful waters for almost 5 km. Along its shady quays, away from the urban bustle, you can enjoy a unique landscape and atmosphere. An opportunity to discover a Paris that is both popular and trendy, punctuated by locks and small squares.

On the footbridge overlooking the Récollets lock, you won’t fail to make a stop. From there, you can admire the canal and its scarf of century-old trees. But also see the facade of the Hôtel du Nord, quai de Jemmapes, a mythical hotel for all movie lovers! It reminds us of the industrious and popular Paris of yesteryear. Since then, the neighborhood has become rather trendy with its galleries, stores, restaurants and cafes.

The “passerelle des Douanes”, quai de Valmy, is another popular spot for walkers. It offers a poetic and romantic postcard setting to wish! From there, it is on the canal that you will continue, as this part has been covered. It is only after the Bastille that the waters return to the open air and you, the marina set up in the basin of the Arsenal.

Good plan: you can also opt for a cruise on the Saint-Martin canal, culminating in a 2 km underground crossing between the Arsenal port and the rue du Faubourg-du-Temple.

In October, treat yourself to a fall stroll along the Saint-Martin canal and a comfortable stay at the Appia hotel.

Art Paris 2020 will take place!

The Paris Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, a not-to-be-missed spring event, will be held from September 11 to 13 at the Grand Palais. Postponed because of the health crisis, it will be the first major cultural and market event in Europe for six months. All the more reason not to miss it!

Art Fair Paris, do you know? This great Parisian event is a gigantic showcase of modern and contemporary art. This year, for example, 112 galleries including 25 foreign galleries will present the work of many artists. If you are a regular visitor, you will notice that new signs are among the exhibitors. Some are already heavyweights in the sector, others are young galleries just waiting to blossom.

If you go to the Grand Palais between September 10 and 13, you will be able to meet artists, attend exhibitions (including 21 monographic exhibitions), travel through 15 countries via cosmopolitan works. You will also be able to follow one of the 80 “decoding” visits organized with the Contemporary Art Observatory.

Indeed, Art Paris is not reserved for a small closed circle of connoisseurs. This fair is intended to introduce contemporary art to a wide audience. The Appia hotel can only encourage you to go and discover this 22nd edition.

In September, book your cultural stay in Paris and stay at the Appia Hotel!

Visit Paris in August

A romantic getaway, family holidays, a trip with friends: Paris loves all generations and all generations love Paris! In August, the capital is waiting for you to live an unforgettable experience. Book your Parisian stay at the Appia Hotel and enjoy a 25% discount from three nights and more.

In August, the atmosphere in Paris changes. Most Parisians leave to go green. The city then belongs to tourists, especially foreign tourists. But this year they too will be missed, due to the health crisis.

This summer, there will be fewer people in Paris, fewer people in a hurry, fewer coaches. The lucky ones who will visit the capital in August will benefit from unprecedented conditions. Shorter queues, less crowded subways, less crowded café terraces.

It’s time to concoct a 5-star program for you! The emblematic monuments and places, the mythical addresses and all the must-sees of the City of Light are yours.

From the Appia Hotel, you will be able to travel all over the capital and not miss anything or almost anything! In Montmartre, walk in the footsteps of Amélie Poulain. In Pigalle, discover the scoundrel Paris. On the Ile de la Cité, take a rest at the bedside of Notre-Dame and take a romantic break on the banks of the Seine opposite the Louvre. On the left bank, take yourself for Sartre at the Café de Flore. And hang out on the Montparnasse side to feel its arty and bohemian atmosphere.

Lose yourself in the upmarket districts of the 7th and 8th arrondissements, around Place Vendôme. From the top of the Arc de Triomphe, overlook the Champs-Élysées. And from the top of the Eiffel Tower, embrace all of Paris spread out at your feet.

In August, visit Paris and don’t miss a thing!

How about we go to Paris this summer?

This year, many French people will choose to spend their holidays in France. And why not in Paris? Deprived of its foreign visitors, the City of Light offers itself to you. The opportunity to visit the capital in exceptional conditions!

Imagine the Eiffel Tower without the phenomenal tail that usually wiggles at its feet. Imagine the Champs-Élysées without the usual crowd of foreign tourists. Or the Louvre Museum without the elbow grease to make its way to the Mona Lisa.

This summer, monuments, cafés, restaurants, shops, gardens, museums… are open again. So it’s up to you to discover Paris and its treasures! A Paris that Parisians have already deserted a little, but where visitors are rarer than usual. So now is the time to come and admire the capital, to enjoy its streets and neighbourhoods. In a word, to come and feel your heart beating.

The Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, the Ile de la Cité, the Marais, the Saint-Martin canal, the mythical cafés of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, cruises on the Seine: all the essentials are within easy reach.

But Covid is forcing new visiting rules. The necessary physical distance in particular can imply limiting the number of people present at the same time. Routes to avoid crossings have also been devised. Result: never before has a visit to a Parisian monument or museum been so comfortable!

The only counterpart: you have to make a reservation. But don’t panic, the Appia Hotel is there to help you prepare and organize your Parisian getaway.

Bonus: until 31 August, for any stay of 3 nights or more, receive a 25% discount on your reservation at the Appia Lafayette Hotel.

Photo credit: Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

The Philharmonie de Paris invites itself to your home

“If you don’t come to the music, the music will come to you. “Since the confinement, every night, the Philharmonie de Paris puts a live concert online on its website. And gives you free access to its catalogue of hundreds of concerts presented in their entirety! A great gift for music lovers.

The Philharmonie de Paris designates both an institution and a concert hall inaugurated in 2015. It also includes the Cité de la musique de la Villette, a practice and concert space opened in 1995. The Cité de la musique also houses the Musée de la Musique and a media library.

The Philharmonie de Paris aims to be a meeting place for all music lovers, whoever they may be. Every year it hosts numerous festivals. Jazz, contemporary music, classical concerts: every genre has its place!

Due to a health crisis, the Philharmonic had to close its doors and cancel its concerts. There is no question of depriving music lovers of beautiful moments of music. So every evening at 8.30 pm, the Philharmonie offers “the concert of the day”. The programme is very varied and draws on the Philharmonic’s archives. Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel invite themselves into your living room, performed by exceptional musicians in an exceptional hall.

You missed your daily musical appointment? Don’t panic, these recordings are available for several days. The site also offers videos of interviews recorded at the Philharmonie de Paris, documentaries, books, resources for young audiences…

So that music continues to enchant your days and evenings, visit the Philharmonie website.

Photo credit: Gala 15-01-2015-Grande salle Pierre Boulez © William Beaucardet

The treasure hunt in Montmartre, an original and fun way to discover Paris

In May, let’s stick together! At a time of deconfinement, more than ever, let us participate together to limit the spread of Covid-19. The health situation still requires caution and restrictions on movement. But nothing prevents you from dreaming about what you will be able to do when Paris opens up to visitors again. A treasure hunt in Montmartre for example?

An unusual visit for a great classic! Montmartre is a must for any Parisian stay. To spice up the visit, how about a giant treasure hunt?

The formula really has everything to please. First of all, it’s for everyone (your children will love it). Secondly, it allows you to discover the mythical monuments of the district but also less known corners. And above all, it offers an excellent moment of entertainment! Equipped with a bag full of accessories and a road book, each group sets off for 2 to 3 hours of play. Ready to warm up your brains and calves?

The Cachette de Paris for example offers four different courses, to be chosen according to the age of the participants. All of them will take you through the streets of Montmartre in search of clues. The objective? To solve the enigma exposed at the beginning of the game.

The apprentice investigators will also be able to exercise their talent with “Mystère à Montmartre”, another treasure hunt orchestrated by the Qui veut pister? team.

The treasure hunts in Paris are suspended until further notice. Nevertheless, please do not hesitate to visit www.lacachettedeparis.fr/jeu-de-piste and www.quiveutpisterparis.com for all the useful information. And find the adventure to note in your post-pandemic “to do list”!

Choco-Story, the Chocolate Museum and its workshops

Post-confinement output idea: Choco-Story. In this museum, he is the king: chocolate! Crunchy, melt-in-the-mouth, in bars, in candies, in spreads, dark, milk, white or even red, it comes in a thousand and one ways. To be visited as soon as the health situation allows it! In the meantime, here’s a little foretaste to make your mouth water.

Gourmets will love it, others will find it hard to resist. But be patient.

The idea of this Chocolate Museum is above all to make the public discover the history of cocoa and chocolate. Thus, from room to room, you will learn everything about its origin and its evolution, the methods of manufacture, the ingredients used.

The first two parts are like a real journey through time, taking you on the traces of the Mayas, Christopher Columbus and up to the present day.

Then it’s time for practice at the demonstration centre. There, expert chocolate makers will share all their secrets with you. And the icing on the cake: they give you a taste. Here you can taste without moderation, everything is eaten, except the sculptures!

Indeed, the museum exhibits incredible chocolate creations that can reach up to 3 m in height!

Finally, for an even more total immersion, sign up for the workshops organised all year round. Accompanied by a chocolate maker, you will make your own creations. Yummy!

When you get out of the confinement, come and treat yourself to chocolate at Choco-Story, on Bonne-Nouvelle Boulevard, just a few blocks from the Appia Lafayette Hotel.

Turner lights up the Jacquemart-André museum

This is the spring event at the Jacquemart-André Museum: a retrospective devoted to Turner. From 13 March to 20 July, some of the master’s paintings and watercolours from the prestigious collection of the TATE Britain in London will be on display. An opportunity to discover a more intimate facet of the artist.

Why don’t you bring a little British flair to your Parisian stay? No need to cross the Channel, just head for the Jacquemart-André Museum. An exhibition of 60 watercolours and some 10 oil paintings awaits you, all signed by the greatest representative of the golden age of English watercolour painting.

These works have a peculiarity. They come from the artist’s private fund, which was bequeathed to the British nation upon his death in 1856. This exceptional collection includes a large number of works (paintings, studies, drawings, sketches, watercolours…) made for the artist’s own pleasure. These productions, not intended for sale, thus reveal a very personal work, full of spontaneity and expressiveness that tells us a lot about Turner’s true nature. Small bonus: some of these works have never been presented in France.

The Jacquemart-André Museum has chosen to honour watercolour. For Joseph Mallord William Turner, this technique was a real field of exploration that undoubtedly influenced his artistic evolution and his own technique.

Along the route, chronological, let yourself be bewitched by the effects of light, the play of transparency on the English landscapes or the Venetian lagoons; let yourself be surprised by the modernity of this great Romantic painter.

Discover the retrospective “Turner, paintings and watercolours” at the Jacquemart-André museum. All useful information is on the website: www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com.

Photo Credit: Jacquemart-André Museum

Exhibition “Of Love” at the Palais de la Découverte

Fancy, it’s Valentine’s Day! And if there is an exhibition of circumstance, it is the Palais de la Découverte. Entitled “Of Love”, it invites you to question this mysterious feeling that occupies such a large place in our lives. To be discovered together of course, on February 14th or another day: the exhibition remains visible until August 30th!

What is love? The Palais de la Découverte tries to answer this vast and important question through its two thematic galleries.

On the program for your stroll, participative games, multimedia supports and spectacular installations. The aim is to take you on a journey through contemporary scientific work on the subject, in biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, anthropology. Not forgetting art, of course, and all its expressions.

First step: the gallery of attachments. Did you know that where the French uses only one word, “amour”, the Greek uses four words? Érōs, desire, carnal passion; storgê, family love; agapē, selfless love and philía, friendship, social bond. You will then be asked to analyse a set of objects, situations, poems, quotations, images… through the prism of these four words. With the latest scientific research on the subject as a guarantee.

Second step: the science gallery, where we will talk about molecules, hormones, neuronal circuits. But not only that. Here, neuroscientists, sociologists, sexologists, psychoanalysts and philosophers address seven eclectic questions ranging from “Online love” to “The art of loving others” to “How is sexuality made? »

In February, make your hearts beat in unison at the Palais de la Découverte!

Photo credit : ® N Breton