Tuesday March 14 was a mixed weather day. A bit of sun, a bit of rain, a bit of cloud and on the cool side. High of only 10C.
We are only a few minutes away from Rue Mouffetard, which at our end of the street is largely a series of food stores. We bought some fruits, vegetables, cheese and fish for dinner.
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| A very good cheese store next to a pasta store in a painted building |
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| Great fish store- with tiled wall |
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| The shellfish part of the store |
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| Where we bought some cheese- so many choices |
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| So beautifully displayed |
Église Saint-Ménard (west side facing Rue Mouffetard) |
The south side of the buildings had the photo exhibit we had seen on Monday. Here are a few additional photos.
Les colonnes de Buren, Palais Royal
"La niege à travers la brume. Tombe et tapisse sans bruit." Paul Verlaine
Graffiti sur le mur, message profond-- "Don't dream your life, but live your dreams"
We took our food purchases back to the apartment before heading out for the day. There was blue sky and the courtyard looked lovely in the sun.
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| The courtyard of our building (we enter through a big green door on the street) |
We took the Métro to the Musée des Art Décroatifs (MAD). The main exhibit was entitled:
Années 80, Mode, Design et Graphisme en France.
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| Entrance to the exhibit |
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| Poster from the exhibit |
The theme was the 1980s as a political, economic, social and artistic turning point. The decade was marked by an era of unabashed wealth at a time of unprecedented development for media and communications. It started in France with the election of François Mitterrand, from the Socialist Party, in 1981 with a new generation of designers emerging supported by ambitious political initiatives.
The exhibit started with a poster which it said marks the beginnings of marketing in politics. Mitterand had entrusted Jacques Séguéla, director of the agency RSCG, with the official communications for his campaign. Séguléla believed that the campaign should not be political but rather media-friendly. A photo of Mitterand was taken in front of a village, with a red, white and blue background. "Quiet strength" became the slogan of the campaign.
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| Agence RSCG, Patrick de Mervelec (photographier), La Force Tranquille. Mitterand Président, 1981 |
There was a section about the 1981 Mitterand election and his reforms. The death penalty was abolished, social legislation included the 39-hour work week, a fifth week of paid vacation, an increase in minimum wage, implementation of a wealth tax and retirement at 60. The 1980s was also a period of austerity.
Miterrand's two seven year terms saw the launch of a vast program of architectural constructions. These so-called "Grands travaux" (major works) reflected the societal change promised by Mitterand. The glass pyramid at the Louvre, Bastille Opera House, French National Library and other projects were completed. Mitterand wished to initiate a "new urban civilisation". He also initiated a number of cultural projects, such as Cité de la Musique.
There was a section on the 1980s revival of the written press. A new version of
Libération had a new layout in 1981, featuring a smaller format, poster front pages with a striking image and a shocking headline and a logo.
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| Examples of the front pages from the 1980s |
There was an interesting section on how the communications department of the Socialist Party developed their campaign founded on persuasive ideas rather than the image of the candidate. Designed by Claude Baillargeon (1949-2016) (a Canadian who arrived in France in 1968), the posters highlighted the 110 propositions of Mitterand's platform without ever showing him.
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Very effective campaign in 1981. It would be an interesting strategy to employ
with the Health Care crisis in Canada. |
The next part of the exhibit dealt with Mitterrand's support of French designers. The private apartments on the second floor of the Elysée Palace were modernised under the supervisions of five interior designers.
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| Philippe Starck (b. 1949), Fauteuil Club Richard III, 1984 |
The Mitterrand government held culture to be one of the foundations of society. His Cultural Minister, Jack Lang, affirmed that it is the "right to life, the right to happiness." The ministry's budget was doubled. New events were conceived including the Fête de la Musique (1982), Open Days at the National Monuments (1984), the Fête du Cinéma (1985) and the literary festival Fureur de lire (1989). These events continue to the present day.
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| Michel Bouvet (b.1955), Faites de la Musique 1987 |
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| Valerio Adami (b. 1935), La fête du Cinéma, 1988 |
On October 23, 1985, the Fashion Oscars event took place. It was broadcast live on TV and was intended to promote and reward fashion design in France. Azzedine Alaïa was the biggest winner at the event.
ANDAM (National Association for the Development of Fashion Arts, was created in 1989 by Nathalie Dufour with the help of Pierre Bergé. It received support of the Minister of Culture. It holds an annual competition and gives economic support and media visibility to young emerging talents. Martin Margiela was the first winner of this competition.
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Azzedine Alaïa (1935-2017) Robe, 1985 on the right; Martin Marginal (b. 1957),
Ensemble deux pièces, 1989 |
In 1984, Jack Lang asked Andrée Putman to design the furniture for his office at the Palais-Royal. When he returned to the Ministry of Culture in 1988, he asked Sylvain Dubuisson to update the furniture. Dubuisson designed the prototype for a "flying" armchair.
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| Sylvain Dubuisson (b. 1946), Fauteuil Suite Ingénue, 1991 |
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| Suit with a "Mao" collar worn by Jack Lang at the National Assembly on April 17,1985. Created by Thierry Mugler. It provoked heckling from the opposition since the collar hid his necktie- an accessory considered de rigour for the male wardrobe at the National Assembly. |
The Mitterand government also put an end to the state's monopoly and administrative supervision over radio and television. As of November 9, 1981, pirate radio stations were allowed to broadcast, signalling the advent of independent radio, with over 2000 stations counted in 1982.
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Posters from the liberalisation of the Media section of the exhibit-- also the beginning
of the era of global visual communications |
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| Michel Quarez (1938-2021), Salon International de L'Architecture. La grande halle de La Villette, 1989 |
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| Roman Cieślewicze (1930-1996), 1981 (top poster), |
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| Grapes (1968-1990, Apartheid, Racisme. Le Cancer du Monde, 1986 |
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Aurèle Ricard, aka Aurèle Lostdog, SIDA, 1987 (French version of the graphic work AIDS, created in the same year by the Canadian collective General Idea, which was itself inspired by
Richard Indiana's LOVE sculpture (1970). |
There was a room filled with a mix of furniture and fashion from the 1980s. The VIA (Valorisation of Innovation in Furnishing) founded in 1979 to promote French design, gave the industry a decisive boost.
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| Reinterpretation and repurposing of object and materials. Jean-Charles de Castellbajac (b. 1949), Manteau, vers 1983, reinterpreted Proust's symbolic overcoat. |
Illustrator, photographer and director Jean-Paul Goude has worked for the press, the music industry and in advertising. Grace Jones became his muse.
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| Jean-Parul Goude (b. 1938), Blue-Black in Black on Grey, 1981 |
There was a room dedicated to counterculture nightclubs which were also meeting spots for designers. Fashion played a central role at the clubs
Palace and the
Privilège. |
| Yves Saint Laurent, Robe du Soir, 1979, homage to Serge Diaghilev's collaboration with Picasso. |
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| Chantal Thomas (b. 1947), Ensemble, 1986 |
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| Vivienne Westwood (1941-1923), Ensemble deux pièces, 1985 |
The Exhibit noted that the 1980s were a decade of "cash and flash" when media and communications were extending their influences within all areas of society. Silhouettes were diversified in many creative ways.
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| Marithé + François Girbaud, Ensemble, 1989. Alain and I still have jeans from these designers. |
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| Agnès Troublé dite Agnès B. (b. 1941), 1983. (She still has these domed tops in her stores) |
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| Pierre Cardin (1922-2020), Robe du Soir, 1987 |
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| Hubert de Givenchy (1927-2018), Robe-Bustier, vers 1984 |
In 1989, Minister Jack Lang, invited Jean-Paul Goude to produce the parade for the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The central theme was human rights, ethnic diversity and social mixing.
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| Jean-Paul Goude, Images from the parade |
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| Naf Nag, Combination-Pantalon, 1983-85-- had great success with this jumpsuit |
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| Section on Christian Lacroix and his atelier, 1987 |
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| Ettore Sottsass (1917-2007), Glass works for Memphis group |
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| Jean Paul Gaultier (b. 1952), pieces from 1985 |
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| Élisabeth de Senneville (b. 1946), Manteau, 1980 |
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Alaïa and Martin Szekely ((b. 1956), worked collaboratively. Szekely did the furniture and exhibition design for Alaïa's retrospective at the Palais Galliera in 2013,
and as well designed the bottle for Alaïa's perfume in 2015. |
There was a second exhibit at the Musée entitled: étienne + robial graphisme & collection de futuropolis à canal+. The exhibit feature the work of graphic designer, editor, artistic director, font designer and collector for the past 50 years. Etienne Robial (b. 1945) began his carrier in 1970. In 1972, after buying a bookstore, he co-founded the Futuropolis publishing house with Florence Cestac. In 1972, Futuropolis was the first bookstore in the world to specialise in international art cartoons for adults. Robial continued to work as an editor at Futuropolis until 1994, when he sold the company to Gallimard.
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| Poster for the Exhibit |
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| From Futuropolis |
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| Book covers designed by Futuropolis designers |
In parallel to Futuropolis, Robial founded the on-off studio in 1982, dedicated to designing the look and feel of major television stations, included CANAL +, where he has been general artistic director since its inception in 1984. There, he conceived the logos for the group's many channels and designed 4700 main titles. His designs are based on three pillars: form, colour and font. There were many rooms dedicated to his major influences, and his many designs.
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| Alphabet Cité 2008 |
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| Colours everywhere |
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| Designs for the TV networks |
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| Watches |
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| For the VIP restaurant of CANAL + , After 1994 |
Robial has also taught at Penninghen (Paris), a school of communication and interior design.
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| More designs |
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| Exercise: The Square |
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| 2014, a different font for each singer |
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| Alphabet Benny |
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| Alphabet Miam 2000--- for a museum in Sète |
We really enjoyed both exhibits, especially the Main exhibit on 80s design. One can get nostalgic for the optimism of the 1980s, and the economic, social and cultural reforms in France during that era.
It had rained when we were in the Museum and had just stopped when we left. We walked across Rue Rivoli to Palais Royal, one of our favourite places.
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| The square with the Daniel Buren striped columns |
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| Moi encore |
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| Alain |
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| The Palais-Royal gardens |
We went to visit our favourite scarf store, Épice, which is located in one of the shops in the portico area, beside the gardens.
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| Display |
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| Boxes which hold a number of scarves in different colours of the same pattern |
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| Alain purchased the scarf on the left |
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| Wearing a version from the store (he got a new one) |
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| Palais Royal before the trees get their leaves, but during magnolia season |
We went to nearby Café Kitsuné for a coffee and a shared egg sandwich.
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| Inside of the Café |
We walked past a giant mirrored cube which allowed us to take a picture with the Conseil d' État in the background.
We stopped in the Tourism Office at Hôtel de Ville to pick up some 2023 Paris maps and other brochures about art galleries and museums. They were selling the 2024 Olympic mascots.
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| Olympic mascots-called Phryges for freedom and revolution |
We headed back across the Seine at around 7:30 p.m. Beautiful sky, beautiful Paris.
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| The Seine in the early evening |
After cheese, olives and radishes appetizers, Alain made a cod dinner with potatoes, green beans and tomatoes. A glass of red wine, green salad and a piece of apple strudel for dessert. First full day in Paris was exactly that.
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