The art of David Cintract

Close to Le Louvre, there is a pretty cool modern art gallery - called Art Club - that I love. Lately, as I was in the area, I took this photo through the window and I love the blurry effect. The man in the foreground is a sculpture (a mannequin) by David Cintract, a French "nouveau-pop" artist. Very talented - well, in my opinion! On a different note, it's time to buy your plane/train tickets to Paris to attend the 4th annual PDP Picnic (see event on Facebook) on May 13!

Tar and feathered!

What on earth is that? Take a guess... Is that a street artist performance? A one leg mannequin? A slot machine? A toilet for dogs?! All wrong! It's a parking terminal! Why is it all covered in feathers like this? I have no idea, but Adrien M. who took the photo at rue Gazan and kindly sent it to me (2 guest contributors in 3 days, that's a first!) said it was probably angry car owners ;-) Don't tell me this idea never crossed your mind!

Stuck in the Eiffel Tower!

Those who follow me on Twitter or Facebook will not be surprised to see this photo! Here is why: today, I went to the Eiffel Tower (for work!) and I took the elevator to go up (call me lazy if you want, I don't care!). When we landed on the first floor the doors refused to open. They had to "play with the cabin" for a good 10 minutes before they actually managed to free us! No harm, no worries, just a good laugh in fact. I wonder if these elevators used to work better at the time there was an operator sitting outside the cabin, like this man in blue that they now replaced with a mannequin to remind the visitors of the good old times!

Inanimate objects...

I took this photo through the window of a mannequin store in the rue Réaumur and it made me think right away of a famous quote by French Poet Alphonse de Lamartine: "Inanimate objects do you have a soul?" For none of the "people" in this scene - even the guy in the black suit! - are real.

Smoking Valet!

Clever idea. After the smoking ban in restaurants and bars that took place a couple of years ago, most places installed smoking corners outside on their terrace. This one - a Corsican restaurant called Le temple - organized its corner around this odd looking mannequin (look at the ashtray on the tray). Pretty clever and funny as well.

Vide grenier !

In France we don't have garage sales, we have... Vide greniers (clean your attic sales), but the principle remains the same: try to sell for the best price the junk that you have accumulated over the years. I'm not a big fan (I prefer new stuff!) but a lot of people are and it's always a big success. Yesterday (Sunday) there was one at rue Cadet which is right by by home, so I had a glance... And here you go; I found this little no head mannequin that I thought was pretty cool. Did I buy it? Hell no! FYI, if you're interested to visit one of these Vide greniers the next time you're in Paris, here is the list!

Antoine & Lili in Le Marais

Weird encounter with a mannequin today! I found "her" at rue des Francs Bourgeois, in the Marais, just outside a pretty "in" women clothes brand store called "Antoine & Lili". I checked everywhere and I was totally unable to find out who hides behind this brand (they have 15 outlets in France and 6 in Paris, including a large one by the Quai de Valmy in the 10the arrondissement). All the stores are painted with a super bright color. Clever. And, by the way, they also have a  stunning website.

The surfing and jumping mannequins

OK, I've had my day off! Time to go back to PDP work ;-) And what's better than a quick drop by my favorite mannequins store, it's been a while ;-) From their attitude you can tell that summer is coming! It's actually the first time I see a mannequin in a diving position ;-) Anyway, I just wanted to put a little summer in your day, with a few weeks in advance ;-) (well for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere).

Clothes make the Mannequin...

Mannequins in a Celio Window shop near the Gare Saint Lazare in the 8th arrondissement.