I am very excited to announce the Eye Prefer Paris Book of the Month selection for April, The Price of Illusion, A Memoir by Joan Juliet Buck.
Joan Juliet Buck, the only child of larger-than-life film producer Jules Buck, was born into a world of make-believe. Her childhood was a whirlwind of famous faces: John Huston, Peter O'Toole, Lauren Bacall, Federico Fellini and many more; ever-changing home addresses: London, Paris, Cannes, Los Angeles; and the unspoken lesson that appearances mattered more than reality. When Joan became the first and only American woman ever to fill the coveted position of Editor in Chief of Paris Vogue, she quickly became a force in the cult of fashion and beauty. Her job gave her the means to recreate for her aging father, now a widower, the life he'd enjoyed during his high-flying years – a splendid illusion of glamour and luxury. But such illusions cannot be sustained indefinitely, and they always come at a cost.
I can't wait to dive into The Price of Illusion especially the chapters about her experience as the editor of French Vogue.
It was such a fascinating history of the time, WWI and the perils that Monet suffered through but ultimately triumphed with the water lily series of paintings.
I would love your comments and feedback and who ever writes the first comment about Mad Enchantment will receive a free copy of The Price of Illusion.
Enjoy The Price of Illusion and see you next month with another great book.
Superstar singer and actress Dalida is the second most influential person in French history after Charles DeGaulle as reported in a poll by Le Monde. Selling over 84 million records in her meteoric rise to fame from the 1950s to the mid-1980s, her life was marked by tragedy with one lover, a husband and a close friend who committed suicide. Dalida committed suicide at the height of her career in 1987. Musee Palais Galliera is paying tribute to Dalida on the 30th anniversary of her death with an exhibition of her wardrobe donated by her brother Orlando. From The New Look dresses she wore in the 1950s to chic Saint Laurent outfits in the 1970s to sequins disco outfits in the 1980s, the exhibition covers the evolving fashion Dalida wore onstage and off.
On the 100th anniversary of the death of Rodin, Musee Rodin is stepping up its program to give contemporary artists carte blanche to present their works parallel to Rodin. Anselm Kiefer presents a new collection of paintings The Cathedrals of France along side an exhibit of entirely unknown plasters by Rodin.
A new exhibition focuses on Picasso's first wife Olga, a ballerina for the Ballets Russes from the period of 1917-1935. The exhibit includes paintings, drawings, written and photographical archives.
Two choreography giants team up for a very special dance performance Cunningham and William Forsythe. Sets are by Marcel Duchamp and costumes by Jasper Johns.