Richard Nahem, an ex-New Yorker living in Paris, leads private insider tours showing visitors the Paris most of them never see on their own (www.eyepreferparistours.com), and also writes a popular insider's blog at www.eyepreferparis.com.
Spring 2015 is shaping up to be a prolific and busy cultural season in Paris. Below is a hand-picked list of some of the top events.
Singin’ in the Rain
The Theatre du Chatelet in past seasons has presented full-scale productions of classic Broadway and movie musicals, such as Into the Woods, An American in Paris, West Side Story, A Little Night Music and The King and I. This spring one of the most beloved American movie musicals comes to the stage, Singin’ in the Rain, originally starring Gene Kelly. Robert Carsen, who staged My Fair Lady in 2013 at Theatre du Chatelet, heads the artistic team with choreography by Stephen Mear, set design by Tim Hatley, costumes by Anthony Powell with the Orchestre de Chambre Paris conducted by Gareth Valentine.
March 12-March 26, 2015
Theatre du Chatelet
Place du Chatelet, 75004
http://chatelet-theatre.com/en/event/singin-in-the-rain
David Bowie Is…
The dazzling new classical concert hall, Philharmonie de Paris, designed by Jean Nouvel, opened in January. The venue's premiere exhibit, David Bowie is…, is a multimedia journey following his remarkable career from the 60s to present day. Much of the show was taken from Bowie’s personal archives with previously unreleased documents and recordings, photographs, videos, costumes, set components, handwritten pages, drawings and instruments which meticulously documents the meteoric rise of the pop culture legend and innovator.
March 3 to May 31, 2015
Philharmonie de Paris
221 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019
http://p0.philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/a-flagship-exhibition-david-bowie-is
The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier - From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk
The ultimate bad boy of fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier, has become one of the most influential and avant-garde fashion designers of his generation. A traveling exhibition, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier-From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, has already seduced fans from Brooklyn to Stockholm to Dallas and finally arrives in Gaultier’s hometown. Encompassing five decades of his prolific output of haute couture and ready to wear collections, the exhibit features sketches, archives, stage costumes, and film and video footage from his fashion shows and dance performances.
April 1 to August 3, 2015
Grand Palais
3 avenue du Général Eisenhower ,75008
http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/jean-paul-gaultier
American Icons: Masterworks from the San Francisco MoMA and Fisher Collection
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) proudly presents American Icons: Masterworks from the San Francisco MoMA and Fisher Collection. Doris and Donald Fisher, founders of the The Gap, have amassed one of the largest collections of post-modern American art. They have partnered with SFMOMA to show 64 of their most important works in Paris. Highlights include pieces from renowned artists Chuck Close, Dan Flavin, Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Agnes Martin and Andy Warhol.
April 8 to June 22, 2015
3 avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008
http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/american-icons
Dolce Vita? Italian Decorative Art 1900–1940, from the Liberty to Industrial Design
Italian decorative arts from the early twentieth century is the focus a new exhibit Dolce Vita? Italian Decorative Art 1900–1940, from the Liberty to Industrial Design at the Musée d’Orsay. The iconic modern Italian style was developed by cabinetmakers, ceramicists and glassmakers who started the Liberty style in the early 1900s with designs by Carlo Bugatti, Eugenio Quarti and Federico Tesio. The second part of the show is devoted to Futurism, where artist and designers interpreted the fast rise of technology and innovation of the rapid changing time.
April 14 to September 13
Musée d’Orsay
1 rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007
http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html