Current Art Exhibits and Cultural Events in France

Here are some new art exhibits and cultural events going on in France right now:

L’Atelier d’Alberto Giacometti- (The Studio of Alberto Giacometti)

With more than 600 sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs, most of them from the Alberto and Annette Giacometti Foundation, this is the most complete retrospective of the artist’s work ever organized.

Centre Pompidou
Place Georges Pompidou, 4th
Métro: Hôtel de Ville
01.44.78.12.33
www.centrepompidou.fr
€10. Through Feb 11.

Christian Lacroix: Histoires de Mode- (Christian Lacroix: Stories of Fashion)

Plunging into the museum’s archives, couturier Christian Lacroix has assembled a history of fashion from the 18th century to the 21st, with some 400 historical articles and 80 of his own couture creations.

Les Arts Décoratifs, Musée de la Mode et du Textile
107 rue de Rivoli, 1st
Métro: Palais Royal
01.44.55.57.50
www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr
€8. Through April 20.

Benjamin Franklin: Un Américain à Paris, 1776–1785

A big show documenting the political influence—and immense social success—of Ben Franklin during the nine years he spent in Paris as ambassador of the new U.S. Congress.

Musée Carnavalet
23 rue de Sévigné, 3rd
Métro: St-Paul
01.44.59.58.58
www.carnavalet.paris.fr
€7. Dec 5–Mar 9.

Carnaval de Nice

The city’s annual two-week carnival, with traditional parades of flower-covered floats. This year’s theme is the Roi des Ratapignatas, Raminagrobis et Autres Ramassis de Rats Masqués, an alliterative play on the Chinese Year of the Rat, with Ratapignata a bat in the medieval Niçois bestiary and Raminagrobis the Rabelaisian fat cat in a fable by La Fontaine.

www.nicecarnaval.com
Some of the parades are free, others require tickets. €10–€25.
Feb 16–Mar 2

Menton Lemon Festival

A citrus-flavored cousin to Nice’s Carnaval, the Fête du Citron celebrates the balmy microclimate of Menton, on the Côte d’Azur near the Italian border, the only place in France warm enough to grow edible lemons. Thousands of them are used, along with oranges and grapefruit, to construct giant sculptures and decorate floats for the festival’s parades.

www.feteducitron.com
€9–€16.
Feb 16–Mar 5.

Heading to Paris? Here are some other excellent resources and things to do: Paris Sightseeing Tours

Planning A Trip To Paris? Click Here

Here is an excellent site if you are planning a trip to Paris: CityZeum. You’ll find useful information about museums (you can even download an audio file about each museum to an MP3, iPod, PDA/Handheld, mobile, or GPS handheld), restaurants, bistros, amusements, gardens, transportation, monuments, and shopping. There is a handy map of Paris you can print out as well. This appears to be an excellent site for Paris, whether this will be your first trip, or if you have been there many times.

After all, you can never see everything in Paris, so click here: CityZeum

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