Un/une faussaire

French artist Alfred Sisley was born in Paris on October 30, 1839. His parents were British, so Sisley had their citizenship, but he lived most of his life in France. His father was a wealthy silk merchant and his mother was a connoisseur of classical music.

His parents intended him to pursue a career in business and they packed him off to London. After four years, he returned to Paris where he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts. While there, he became friends with Renoir, Monet, and Bazille. All of the group that became known as the Impressionists experimented en plein air with the effects of light and shadow. What made Sisley different was the fact that he was financially supported by his father.

This level of financial comfort came to an end after the 1870 France-Prussian War caused the failure of his father’s business. Sisley went from comfort to penury for the rest of his days. Occasionally, Sisley picked up a sponsor, which allowed him to complete a series of paintings of the Thames that are considered to be as good as Impressionism gets. Sisley’s skies are considered particularly impressive.

Sisley applied for French citizenship but was refused. A second request was pending when Sisley died of throat cancer on January 29, 1899.

His paintings gained in cachet and market value after his death. Today, they are held by some of the top museums in the world, including the Musée d’Orsay. One of his paintings, Allée des peupliers de Moret, has been stolen three times from its home at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice. Once it was recovered in the sewer; once the museum’s curator was conviced with the theft along with two accomplices; most recently, the police found it in a van in Marseilles.

His large body of work, about 900 oil paintings, and many pastels and drawings, has made him one of the most frequently copied artists by scammers who try to pass a work off as “newly discovered” Sisley. The word for a forger is un/une faussaire (uhn/oon foesare). It’s one of a small group of French words that can be either masculine or feminine. Forgery is an equal opportunity crime.

Alfred Sisley

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Dans les coulisses

 



You probably already know Paris’ Opéra Garnier for its flamboyant exterior or maybe for the story of the Phantom, written by Gaston Leroux. It’s been classified as a historical monument for 90 years, but the parts that are behind the scenes are equally fascinating. Designed by Charles Garner, the 2,000 seat auditorium is just the beginning. There are 17 floors in total, as better appreciated in this model of the interior, above.

 

 

Starting at the top, there is the level known as the collier de perles or the “pearl necklace” for the white globes of the lamps that encircle the ceiling. From this catwalk, you will have a wonderful view of the ceiling by Marc Chagall and the 2.5 ton chandelier. It used to be gas lit, but has been electrified since the beginning of the last century.

 

 

Moving down to the boxes, the most famous one is loge 5, the fictitious exclusive vantage point of the Phantom. He was ostensibly able to come and go thanks to a hollow column. Tourists tap it in vain. It’s as solid as the myth is enduring.

 

 

Speaking of the myth, according to the story, there is a lake beneath the opera house, where the Phantom rowed his boat. Five floors below the stage there is une cuve, or a cistern, that contains the nappe phréatique, or groundwater, that was uncovered during construction. Garnier tried in vain to drain the water, considerably delaying construction. He couldn’t stem the water that flows abundantly beneath the city. While there is no Phantom and no boat in the cistern, there are eels and carp. Let’s go back upstairs!







 



 





To chase away the gloom of the cistern, finish your dans les coulisses (dahn lay kooleese), literally "in the wings" or “behind the scenes” tour on the roof of the Opéra Garnier. Here, you’ll be 250 feet above the ground and you’ll enjoy one of the best views in the city.

 

Charles Garnier’s Paris Opera: Architectural Empathy and the Renaissance of French Classicism

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Paris en bouteille

Paris, the city of fashion, the city of history, the city of . . . grapes? In the 70s, restaurateur Jacques Mélac planted a few baco grape vines from the Auvergne that clambered over his Parisian bistro (42 rue Léon Frot, 75011). In mid-September each year, he harvested enough to make 30-50 bottles of wine. Neighbors and habitués of the restaurant gathered for the annual mini-harvest and grape stomp. I can’t help thinking of Lucille Ball’s famous episode.



The harvest is a huge street party where regular attendees sing, dance, and feast. A tirage-au-sort, or draw, determines who gets the chance to buy one of the coveted bottles from last year’s harvest. Mélac called the home brew Château Charonne after the street nearby and described it as Paris en bouteille (pairee ahn bootay), or Paris in a bottle.


Earlier this year, the bistrot was taken over by Didier and Denise Madamour from the Auvergne. Although they will no doubt be making many changes to put their own mark on Bistrot Mélac, this is one tradition they will not be messing with. It was as distinctive a marketing coup as Mélac’s handlebar moustache (a moustache so fabulous, he was once photographed by Robert Doisneau). Jacques Mélac, on the other hand, has decided to devote himself to wine making on a much larger scale than a few bottles. Santé!

The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France, by Ray Walker

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