As Paris resumes its normal pace, the question isn’t what to do but how to choose among the many offerings. Invitations begin to arrive, and last week I was delighted to find one to an event  I wouldn’t miss, the Salon du Collectionneur.

To kick off the rentrée, beginning on Friday, 125 antiquaires and art galleries will assemble beneath the nave of  the Grand Palais for the fourth edition of the Salon. Created in 2003, the Salon is held every two years, alternating with the Biennale des Antiquaires. Both are under the auspices of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, an association of gallery owners and experts,

Although the scope of exhibitors is less global than at the Biennale, with most coming from France and other European countries, the variety of offerings is no less so. Whatever your passion, from archeology to contemporary art, you are sure to see something  of interest. From the jewels of a lady at the court of Louis XIV to skeletons of prehistoric reptiles, passing by an 18th century commode on the way to a chair in polyurethane by Gaetano Pesci or a painting by Zao Wou-ki, the quality is assured. All exhibitors and their works are vetted by the organizing committee of the Syndicat  before being invited to participate.

For those who experience a coup de foudre (love at first sight), the works exhibited are for sale. As for logistics, the dealer selling a piece will handle the customs requirements.

From 11 – 20 September 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m, with Nocturnes on Tuesday the 15th and Thursday the 17th until 10:00 p.m., at the Grand Palais (Métro Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau), www.sdcfrance.eu.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2009 Jan del Monte

∞

Now, I know I promised to digress from time to time, but I never expected to find a connection between the decorative arts and a far older profession. 

It seems that Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, the third richest man in England, friend of the heir to the throne and godfather of Prince William, has been identified as a member of the same club that figured in the scandal that brought down the governor of the state of New York. 

When not participating in the Emperor’s Club, Gerald directed Grosvenor Continental Europe, which, in 2005, bought the Paul Bert and Serpette markets at the Marché aux Puces of Saint-Ouen, the 120-year-old flea market north of Paris.

Merchants at Saint-Ouen are facing a triple threat to their survival — the buying power of Americans has been significantly reduced due to the weak dollar; the competition from Internet sales, particularly for bric-a-brac and less important pieces; and, since 2005, the exorbitant rent increases imposed by Grosvenor (as much as 35 to 70 percent, often accompanied by an increase in monthly charges), which have caused many businesses to fold.

Rumor has it that the duke wants to turn Paul Bert and Serpette into a luxury market such as the Louvre des Antiquaires on rue de Rivoli. He may well have other things on his mind at the moment, but I would urge him to rethink this. On recent visits to the Louvre des Antiquaires, I haven’t exactly had to fight the crowds.

You have to love the spirit of the antiquaires. Business may not be good, but they haven’t given up yet. And they do have a way with words. They staged a protest last year, which included handing out flyers that suggested the duke “return to perfidious Albion.”

Just my personal opinion, but shouldn’t this market, which is a huge tourist attraction and an important part of the national heritage, be protected? 

Let me know what you think.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

© 2008 Jan del Monte

∞

Time will tell if this is coincidence or the beginning of a trend, but the first months of the year have shown a renewed interest in Madeleine Castaing. Fifteen years after her death, a documentary on the life of the French antiquaire and decorator had its premiere in San Francisco in January (1). Now, in Paris, a biography by Jean-Noël Liaut (2) is linked to an exhibition of her furniture (3) in the Galerie du Passage in the Galerie Véro-Dodat.

Castaing probably did more than anyone to make 19th Century furniture respectable.  The “style Castaing” employs a 19th Century aesthetic, seen through 20th Century eyes.  It is an idealized tribute to that period that could only have been conceived by someone who had not lived through it. Eclectic in its execution, rather than historically faithful, it sifts through a range of styles from Directoire to Napoléon III, its components spanning the century and blending provenance.

Castaing has long been a favorite of francophile American decorators, and one has only to enter the exhibition to understand the inspiration for so many of the trends that flourished in the 80′s and 90′s. And yet, how audacious, how original all of these things must have seemed when she introduced them.

Imagine, 50 years ago, leopard print carpeting, or iron furniture invited in from the garden to grace the salon, or Napoléonic campaign furniture, an extravagant superposition of assorted prints amassed on a bed. Chairs were upholstered in vividly-colored velvet framed in gilded wood. Castaing was said to favor neoclassic; her interiors were, in fact, neo-you-name-it.

Throughout, one sees touches of the renowned bleu Castaing. It is an elusive color and somewhat difficult to describe, a sort of Wedgwood that aspires to the blue of French opaline glass, by way of a robin’s egg. 

Madeleine Castaing was an original, known for her eccentricity and her high-profile associations, such as with Cocteau and with her protégé, Soutine, as much as for her work. Picasso once described her as the most beautiful woman in all of Paris, but her allure long outlasted her beauty.

Wearing a reddish wig held in place by an elastic under the chin, her eyes fringed with spidery, heavily mascaraed false lashes, she held court in her gallery at the corner of rue Bonaparte and rue Jacob.  Today it is the home of Ladurée on the Left Bank; the temple of taste and conversation now dispenses macarons. As capricious in her business practices as in her taste, it is said she only sold to those who pleased her.  Those who did not were simply told the item was not for sale.

The exhibition continues until the 15th of March.  If you are in Paris during that time, it is well worth seeing.  I just may have to return to buy the book.

Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France

(1) Madeleine Castaing, documentary by Christopher Flach.

(2) Liaut, Jean-Noël, Madeleine Castaing, mécène à Montparnasse, décoratrice à Saint-Germain-des-Prés (éd. Payot), €20.

(3) Du coté de chez Madeleine, Galerie du Passage, 20-26 Galerie Véro-Dodat, 75001 Paris.  Until 15 March.

Photo Credits: Top – Cover art for Liaut book. Center – Napoléon III chairs from the bedroom of Madeleine Castaing (courtesy of Connaissance des Arts). Bottom – Portrait of Madeleine Castaing by Chaim Soutine, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

© 2008 Jan del Monte

∞