Oh Paris

Paris gets its first Apple Store in the Carrousel du Louvre.  While work is still on-going for the Louvre Apple Store rumors already emerge that the US multinational is planning a second shop in the Paris Opéra area close to the famous boulevard Haussmann.

An Apple Store Close To Opéra Granier

The main difference between the two Paris Apple Stores will be their size. The Opéra Apple store will have a surface of 1200 square meters (over 10 000 square feet) while the Louvre store wil be 700 square meters (over 6000 sqaure feet).

The Louvre Apple Store, which is expected to open towards the end of 2009, is located in a historic building constructed in 1865 that formerly housed a bank. The retail space will be divided over three levels: a ground floor, a basement and a mezzanine, all levels have a 7 meters high ceiling. Architect Jean-Jacques Ory, know for the restoration of the Galeries Lafayette in 2007, is responsible for the design. The façade will feature large windows in the shape of arches.

With more than 250 Apple stores around the world (including 211 in the U.S.), it took the electronics maker until March 2007, with the Rome Apple Store, before opening a first retail outlet in Europe. The development of its European retail network has been kept under wraps as long as possible, and the  computer giant has confirmed only in July the opening of the store at the Carrousel du Louvre, whose opening is expected at the end of the year.

The work of the Apple Store Opera started in June this year and should be completed in early 2010 for an opening in March.

On September 17 the Paris Louvre Museum opened the colorful exhibition “Rivalités à Venise (Rivalries in Venice)” with Titien, Tintoret, and Véronèse.

All 3 were talented, but Titien, the eldest, was a great source for the other two. This came from visits to his studio, but also by the mere contemplation of his works. Titien, born between 1488 and 1490, had a special status: official painter of the city. But he was also gifted with a fertile imagination. He initiated trends which the others just followed. That Titien could not crush them was that each had their own style.

Paris Louvre Museum

This Paris Art exposition in the Louvre museum shows that Venice in the sixteenth century was a prosperous city. At that time about two hundred families of aristocrats commanded many works, and so did the government, and the very powerful guilds. They organized competitions, creating a very productive rivalry between painters. “With these competitions, everyone was able to present their work and get recognition for his talent,” says Jean Habert, curator of the exhibition in the Paris Louvre museum.

In the expositions of Italian painters of the 16^th century Titien is of course the main attraction. But the works of Tintoret, Véronèse, and also those of Bassano and Palma the Younger, for example, demonstrate the perfect evaluation. Jean Habert chose to associate their works to make this comparison and evaluation obvious and subtle at the same time.

Fun to observe is the version of “Tarquin and Lucretia” painted by Titien around 1568-1571, and then that of Tintoret painted ten years later.

Until January 4, 2010 in the Napoleon hall of the Louvre, 75001 Paris.

Open every day except Tuesday from 9 am to 6pm, till 8pm on Saturday, and till 10pm Wednesday and Friday.

Entrance fee is 11 €.

More information: +33 1 40 20 53 17  or www.louvre.fr.

For the World Music Day in Paris, one of the exceptional concerts is one organized in the Louvre museum.

Paris Louvre Museum

The Louvre museum in Paris offers this year a concert under the pyramid. On the program is the New World Symphony by Antonin Dvorak performed by the National Orchestra of France conducted by Kurt Masur, the famous conductor who led the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

This is the music Neil Armstrong took at the Apollo 11 with the first man mission on the moon in 1969.

Dvorak had composed during his stay in the United States from 1892-1895 while working as director of the Conservatory of New York