What’s on in Paris this October

24 September 2015

Discover Outstanding Arts Exhibitions and Events in Paris this Autumn

With such a sought-after location just off the Champs-Élysées, our small boutique hotel in Paris offers easy access to all of the capital’s newest and most exciting exhibitions and events. Luckily for our guests, our dedicated concierge team always keep one finger on the city’s pulse to know which world-class art pieces are hanging where…and which of the capital’s events are set to be the hottest tickets in town. As we like to stay one step ahead, we’ve already found two outstanding attractions set to be popular next month, and so that you can begin to plan your perfect Paris getaway, we’ve put together a guide to them both.

Martin Scorsese Exhibition

La Cinémathèque Française
14th October 2015 – 14th February 2016

Having directed almost 60 films, documentaries and TV programmes, and won 141 awards to date, including a long-awaited Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing for The Departed (2006), it’s easy to see why Martin Scorsese is regarded as one of the greatest directors of our time. While carving out an outstanding reputation for himself, he's also helped launch and progress the career of countless others; with 18 of his actors having received Oscar nominations for their performances under his direction. In celebration of a man who’s become a master of his field, an entertainer to millions and an inspiration to many, La Cinémathèque Française will be opening the doors to the first major exhibition devoted to Scorsese in Paris this October.

Adapted from an exhibition by the Deutsche Kinemathek, which was presented in Berlin during 2013, La Cinémathèque Française will be offering the chance to explore the director’s impressive career-to-date using objects from both Scorsese’s own private collection in New York and collections from the likes of longstanding colleagues Robert de Niro and Paul Schrader that were entrusted to the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas, Austin. Photographs, posters, storyboards, costumes, and other rare and fascinating objects will be on display to offer visitors the chance to see the director’s inspirations and working methods.

One of Scorsese’s main influences has been New York and in particular the Little Italy neighbourhood where he was raised. The city and its inhabitants have provided the director with a wealth of cultural, religious and urban references, many of which have featured in the likes of Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013); the latter being his highest grossing film to date. Though perhaps best known for his unflinching depiction of violence, especially in relation to gang conflict, he is also admired for his creativity in exploring narrative and outstanding technical abilities; having been referred to as the ‘king of the tracking shot’.

Scorsese’s passion for cinema doesn’t end at directing though. In 1980, he wrote to his peers about how films were vanishing due to the quality of film used, keen for Kodak to solve the issue of fading. It came as a wake-up call to preserve films that were otherwise destined to be lost and he subsequently founded The Film Foundation, which can boast a board of directors including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. The organisation has helped to restore nearly 700 films to date, protecting the industry’s history for future generations.

Located a 20 minute drive from our small boutique hotel in Paris, the exhibition venue itself is also a key attraction. Scorsese himself attended the reopening of La Cinémathèque Française on Rue de Bercy in September 2005, and remarked that "filmmakers from all over the world know this place, even if they’ve never been here. This is our spiritual home.” An impressive compliment to receive from such an esteemed industry figure, however with a reputation for fighting for cinema’s respect in the art world and boasting thousands of artefacts from its history, it’s easy to see why it was given. With such a rich and fascinating career to draw from, the Martin Scorsese exhibition will take visitors on a journey through nearly 50 years of cinema history, and is simply unmissable for any film fan.

Nuit Blanche

Various Locations
3rd October 2015

An artistic buzz will fill the streets of Paris from 7pm on October the 3rd, until 7am the following morning during the 14th edition of Nuit Blanche. Inspired by St Petersburg’s ‘White Nights’, the French capital has been hosting this annual free arts festival on the first Saturday of October since 2002 and this year’s line-up is set to attract several million visitors.

30 international artists will be displaying their work via exhibitions, performances, installations and lectures across the city. This year’s theme is titled ‘Atmosphere? Atmosphere…’, and relates to the World Climate Conference set to be held in the city towards the end of year. Arts fans can look forward to an array of inspiring spectacles, from a large blue LED wave floating off the ground to symbolise the possibility of rising water in the Netherlands, to 270 different coloured ice blocks left to melt on the steps of City Hall; each representing a different country.

Guests planning an October stay in our five star hotel in Paris will be excited to discover that there’ll be many exciting events located mere minutes away. An atmospheric sound installation of insect, bird and amphibian noises will be on offer at Park Monceau, highlighting the effects of global warming on migration and extinction, while a powerful photography exhibition at the Civil Society of Multimedia Authors will focus on climate threats in Bangladesh.

Take a 20 minute stroll down Champs-Élysées from our luxury hotel and you’ll find a stunning light installation by Milène Guermont adorning the 23 metre Luxor Obelisk; positioned on the exact spot that the first public lighting test in the world took place. Those looking for more historic insight can head to the first French retrospective of Elizabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, the official painter of Queen Marie Antoinette, while for something a little more contemporary, PEZCORP will be performing a piece centred around the theme of selfies.

The programme also includes a range of free family-friendly activities including the chance to spend an evening in the North Pole with three light and sound installations. While wandering inbetween exhibits, there’ll also be the chance to enjoy an authentic taste of Parisian street food from a variety of food trucks. The nearest to our small boutique hotel in Paris will be 11 minutes away on the Boulevard de Courcelles, where Le Canard Huppe will be serving a variety of duck dishes seasoned with unique flavours. With delicious dishes to sample and such an incredible programme to explore, it’ll be hard to find a more unique or inspiring evening out in Paris this October.

If you’re planning a five-star stay at Hotel de Vigny and would like further information or tickets to events and exhibitions in Paris, please don’t hesitate to contact our concierge team who be eager to help.

Andy Warhol: Unlimited

Musée d’Art Moderne
2^nd October 2015 - 7^th February 2016

The buzz around Musée d’Art Moderne increases this season for its spectacular retrospective, Warhol Unlimited. Focusing on the outstanding group of 102 printed canvasses, Shadows, the exhibition has become not only the largest and most esteemed Andy Warhol exhibition in the capital, but one that houses Europe’s entire collection for the first time. Warhol Unlimited presents 200 works, yet with so much striking and arresting work amassed, it’s a privileged feat to journey through the 130-metre-long assemblage featuring a seminal series, plus forays into experimental film and a presentation of the environments set up for concerts.

This scale and creativity of what’s on offer at the show is spell-binding from the beginning. On entering you encounter the predictable heavy-hitters of Warhol. The second room stands out, however, with an immaculate presentation of the famous Screen Tests from Warhol’s Factory in New York. These silent film portraits bare before you Factory regulars, Warhol superstars, celebrities, friends or anyone he thought had ‘star potential’. The exhibition excels in bringing sensational work to Paris that demands to be seen in one complete oeuvre. The screen print series of a New Jersey cow plays a big part in the show due to its pivotal role in Warhol’s career. Colour-schemed printed wallpaper cover the entire walls and arranged alongside the series Electric Chair. Some paintings later you come to Warhol’s politics. There are many portraits of political icons leading onto his work with the Velvet Underground from background music, blurred images and posters. The exhibition then looks at the 102 pieces that make up the Shadow series. Here you experience the full impact of Warhol’s work where the colours blend perfectly together. Whether you are an avid follower of Warhol or completely new to the scene, you can’t fail to be blown away from start to end, and back again.