Jennifer Montagu was in Paris during the Salon du Dessin, where she participated to a colloquium about the drawings of sculptors (see our interview with Guilhem Scherf). We took advantage of this occasion to meet and interview her about her former and recent works. This great british art historian, who studied under Gombrich, is always very active.  continue

In 1988, the Musée Calvet in Avignon (ill. 1), housed in a beautiful XVIIIth century mansion built by the architect Franque, closed its doors for renovations that were supposed to last four years. The public should never be totally deprived of a museum: a partial reopening took place only in 1996 although the work had been stopped some time earlier. We will not go into the details of why this remodelling project was never finished. Let us instead turn to the future now that the outlook seems (...)  continue

Jean-Patrice Marandel has been a curator at the LACMA for almost 15 years now. He is especially active in his acquisitions policy which is particularly discerning, often favoring Old Masters, French and Italian from the XVIth to the XVIIIth centuries. We met him in Paris where, as a French-American, he frequently comes to buy paintings and where he anwered our questions about his background, his museum and the evolution of museums both in the United States and Europe. He spoke frankly.  continue

Prince Adam Karol Czartoryski granted us an interview at the time of the presentation in Cracow of the multispectral photography and its results for the Lady with Mink by Leonardo da Vinci, a masterpiece in the collection at the Czartoryski Muzeum in Cracow  continue

Late May 2007, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Ghent reopened its doors after a four-year closing for renovation work. Little has changed in terms of the entrance hall to welcome the public but such essential elements as the electrical system, the lighting of the works and security measures have been entirely upgraded. Other improvements include the cafeteria, the bookshop, the auditorium and the library which have also benefited from this remodelling. Renovating a museum, unlike an (...)  continue

We met the director of Lumière Technology, Jean Pénicaut a few months ago. The photographic process marketed by this company struck us as being absolutely revolutionary.

During the European Heritage Days last weekend, Alain Tapié, director of the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille invited him to demonstrate this multispectral digitizing system.

  continue

The latest trend in inaugurations is doing it twice. The former French Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, did not hesitate in officially celebrating the opening of empty museums, weeks or even months before the public could gain admission for the simple act of seeing his name in gold letters  continue