We’ve got the NYTimes 10 Best Books of 2015
5 December 2015
Library Culture Picks: January 2016
4 January 2016
The American Library in Paris is pleased to share our selection of cultural events going on in the city each month. Despite all that has happened recently in the city, December is a month that glitters and gleams in Paris, from the elaborate window displays of the grands magasins to the lights up and down the Champs-Elysées to the open-air ice-skating rinks. Here are our Culture Picks for December along with recommended books. Enjoy reading and visiting!
Library Culture Picks: December 2015
WHAT: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (performance)
WHERE: THEATRE DE CHATELET
WHEN: 8 DECEMBER 2015 – 15 JANUARY 2016
In many ways the much-beloved 1952 film starring Gene Kelly and Stanely Donen is a perfect product for stage adaptation with its catchy songs and long stretches of dancing, particularly the one of Kelly tap-dancing in the rain. This new stage production at the Théâtre du Châtelet, directed by Robert Carsen with a mostly British cast, does an excellent job of staying true to the storyline and giddiness of the original.
Recommended books to read from the Library collection:
Singin’ in the Rain by Peter Wollen
Musicals on the Silver Screen by Leonard Kniffel
Comédies Musicales: La Collection
Chantons Sous La Pluie
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
WHAT: PICASSO.MANIA (exhibition)
WHERE: GRAND PALAIS
WHEN: 7 OCTOBER 2015 – 29 FEBRUARY 2016
A new exhibition at Paris’s Grand Palais looks at the breadth and length of Picasso’s influence, juxtaposing the Spanish master’s work with that of 75 artists, including Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol. Many of these works have rarely been seen in public making this exhibition a thorough overview of Picasso’s enduring influence in the arts. Also included are a variety of media such as video, sculpture, film, and installation.
Recommended books to read from the Library collection:
Picasso and Truth: From Cubism to Guernica by T.J. Clark
Picasso: Portrait of Picasso as a Young Man by Normal Mailer
Picasso by Gertrude Stein
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
WHAT: CLAIRE BRETECHER (exhibition)
WHERE: THE CENTRE POMPIDOU
WHEN: 18 NOVEMBER 2015 – 8 FEBRUARY 2016
A major figure in French strip cartoons since the 1970s, Claire Bretécher has built up a body of work rooted in the French cultural imagination. Her archetypal characters have accompanied several generations through her collaboration with Le Nouvel Observateur. The Bibliothèque Publique d’ Information (BPI) at the Centre Pompidou is devoting its first exhibition to her graphic work, offering visitors a selection of plates, drawings and paintings that depict human relationships and social changes in our times like no one else.
Recommended books to read from the Library collection:
National Lampoon Presents Claire Bretécher by Claire Bretécher
Agrippina by Claire Bretécher
