I’ve spent 3 days in Lorraine, back to the roots indeed, that’sthe place where I was born and studied before Paris…
So we started with Nancy, famous city for Art Nouveau-nineteen hundred style -with the school of Nancy including masters of glass : Daum and Gallé. The museum of fine art is really worth visiting with a room underground devoted to Daum masterpieces. 
If you like Manet, don’t miss the exquisite portrait of Mery Laurent who was herself from Nancy. She was very successfull and had famous lovers : Victor Hugo, Theodore de Banville, Theophile Gautier…She started a career in theatre and was very close to Manet, she posed several times for him.
Modern art collection is also very interesting with the “Cheval Majeur” by Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Marcel Duchamp ‘s brother, cast in steel thanks to father of the bride. (it’s a private joke for those who like Marcel Duchamp ….).
From animal locomotion to mechanical locomotion, a kind of mecano-morphing in one work of art :
For sweet teeth : try “Bergamotes of Nancy”, a very sweet candy, little yellow glassy squares perfumed with bergamot essence.
There is also the “Sisters’ Macaroons” : original macaroons , from a recipe made by nuns, very crunchy with a delicate taste of almonds and honey.
Enjoy Nancy !
Now let’s go to Metz who knows a revival with the first example of cultural institution delocalisation. A huge success indeed !! The center has been inaugurated in May and they still receive 3000 persons per day !
It has been decided to build a new Center Pompidou in the East of France, not far from Germany and Luxembourg, but still in France. So easy from Paris : you take the fast train called TGV, in 1h30 you’re there ! 5 minutes walk from the train station and you discover an amazing construction by japonese architect Shigeru Ban who was influenced by the shape of a chinese hat !
A very clever architecture and display inside playing with light, space and the city arround the building and masterpieces everywhere.
Did you know that Pompidou collection of modern and contemporary art was the first in Europe and 2nd in the world after the Moma ?
Giacometti, Yves Klein, Joseph Kosuth from left to right
700 hundred works came from Pompidou center collection essentially plus national collections, in order to explore and question the notion of “Masterpiece”.
The Center Pompidou also commisionned artists to create special works for Metz, like Jean-Michel Othoniel (known for Palais Royal Metro entrance in Paris, near Comedie Française, with multicoloured glass beads from Murano).
Laurent le Bon is the director. I’ve already talked about him : he’s the curator of Murakami exhibition in Versailles.
A very gifted curator and director with brilliant ideas , just go to Metz, you’ll understand !
p.s : we thank Laurent very much, we were invited for a private tour, led by Anaïs Lellouche (in charge of missions) who welcomed us very warmly. Actually we had the Center just for us, what a Deluxe privilege to discover it for the first time !!
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