The New Bonnard Museum - Le Cannet

Only open since the summer, the Bonnard Museum is a welcome new addition to the galleries on the Riviera, located in Le Cannet, originally a small town in its own right, but now simply part of Cannes itself. Bonnard lived in a villa in the Eastern part of town in LeBosquet which is still lived in by his descendants, so the museum is in a converted Belle Epoque hotel with some modern additions and beautiful gardens....

The Museum contains a fair selection and an interesting variety of Bonnard works including paintings, drawings, poster designs, photographs and ornamental screens, but not nearly enough of the classic pieces for which he is rightly famous. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the museum, but it is certainly well worth a visit, and the film about his life and art is excellent.

Le Cannet, itself, is also well worth a wander with its impressive Mairie (town hall still with its christmas decorations on display), beautiful Belle Epoque villas, lovely views across the valley, the old town centre with its street of artisan workshops and artists at work, plus an amazing place for lunch......

This restaurant is called Arts & Assiettes (243 Rue St.Sauveur) and offers this wonderfully presented three course gourmet lunch for just 12 Euros (for those of you who know the Riviera well, this is a complete steal right??) All in all a visit to the Bonnard Museum, lunch at Assiettes and a stroll around Le Cannet makes for a special day out.......Enjoy!

Shadow Shot Sunday 138 - Old Town, Nice

I was going to limit myself this weekend to posting just for Weekend Reflections (my first attempt), but obviously I soon discovered that I could not forsake Shadow Shot Sunday even for one week! I have been away all week in The Hague for a MUN conference with students, so this one is from the summer archives of the picturesque Old Town in Nice.....

I wouldn't dream of taking photos of my own washing, but other peoples' is always so much more photogenic and picturesque don't you think?? So enjoy both Weekend Reflections and Shadow Shot Sunday this weekend!!

Weekend Reflections 1 - Sky Mirror, Monaco.

Set in front of Monaco's famous casino is the sky mirror (1999) - a work by renowned artist Anish Kapoor .....

From one direction you can view the pefect reflection of the casino itself in a panoramic symmetrical skyline......

                                             

You can also find all kinds of quirky angles to view the immediate surroundings, although most people come here just to see all the swanky cars parked outside the Casino itself....and peoplewatch.....

For more interesting reflections this week go to Weekend Reflections by clicking HERE Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 137 - Nice

A lone bicycle without a saddle casts its lonely shadow on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice waiting for  its rider to return,...... but it is not alone..and soon joined by a host of others....

And who are these alien intruders a little further along the Promenade?? Just a couple of outdoor urinals of course!!

                                          

For more shadow shots from around the world click here for the new Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!!

Palais Lascaris, Nice

One of the real hidden gems, tucked away in the heart of the Old Town in Nice on the Rue Droite, is the Palais Lascaris. I discovered it just twenty minutes before closing, and thus had the whole Palace to myself to wander and explore on a magical tour as dusk was drawing down...

                                     

It is a wonderful 17th century baroque palace full of stucco work, sculptures, frescoes, religious paintings, trompe l'oeil ceilings, including one by Carlone in the main salon......

In addition there is a beautifully displayed collection of musical instruments including a painted harpsichord.....

Next you will find rooms full of Flemish tapestries and four poster beds - all in such a wonderful excess of luxury and ornament....

On the ground floor there is also an 18th Century pharmacy.....

The Palais Lascaris is open from 10am - 6pm from Wednesday to Monday and is free unless you want to go on the guided visit at 3pm on Fridays for 3 Euros....Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 136 - Inwood Park, London

During my recent Christmas trip to London the sun appeared only the once on Monday January 2nd, whilst I was visiting my house  to see if the new tenants were settling in without any problems, giving me the opportunity to capture these  strong shadows in the park opposite........

       

The park has been taken over by a local community group called "Friends of Inwood Park" and in the past few years they have lovingly restored it from a rundown, dilapidated, and uninviting place to the peaceful and pleasant landscaped green asset it is today.....

My little Edwardian cottage is tucked away in the middle of that terrace overlooking the park....For more shadow shots from around the world click here for the new Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!!

Musee Quai Branly - Paris

Just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower is the treasurehouse of the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, located in a quiet garden and a stunning building designed by architect Jean Nouvel well known for the Arab World Institute also in Paris. The office building of the museum is also worth a second look as it is a living green wall planted by Gilles Clement and Patrick Blanc....

The museum is a new Ethnographic collection housing and showcasing artworks from all parts of Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, and it certainly is a rich eclectic mix of masks, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, artefacts, paintings......

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The Museum also has a very interesting programme of temporary exhibitions and currently showing are a Maori Exhibition as well as the " Samourai - armure du guerrier" and a very challenging but fascinating exhibition which documents the rise and fall of freak shows and human zoos entitled "L'Invention du Sauvage" which runs until June 2012....

Human zoos, incidentally, astonishingly closed as late as 1958......hence the Museum is well worth a visit for learning a great deal about the world in which we live, including its more than chequered past.....

Shadow Shot Sunday 135 - Cap D'Ail

It may be January on the French Riviera, but there is still plenty of blue sky and winter sunshine that this cyclist is certainly soaking up on the digue high above Cap D'Ail harbour....

The strong sunshine and acid light is still bringing out those sharp, stark shadows, despite the fresh coolness of the air....

For more shadow shots from around the world this week, click here for the new Shadow Shot Sunday. Enjoy!!