Scene - Now Featuring More of 1999

Paris' New Season Begins in Ernest

Paris:- Saturday, 23. January 1999:- This week events take up the space I would normally use here to make a few comments. I had intended to write some details about the new Musée d'Art et d'Historie du Judaïsme, but this will require a feature of it own in the near future.

This museum opened for the first time in its new incarnation on 6. December of last year, in the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan. This is 'in' the Marais, in the rue du Temple at number 71; Paris 3. Métro: Rambuteau.

The museum is open from Monday to Friday, from 11:00 to 18:00 and on Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00. Info Tel.: 01 53 01 86 53 and Fax.: 33 1 42 72 97 47. Since it is a new museum, there is also an Internet address you can write to for information.

Mark Rothko at the Museum of Modern Art: 70 works are on display, done between 1935 and 1969. This amounts to a span of work covering 34 years and it is arranged in chronological order; so you can see either where the artist was going or where he came from.

Musée d'Art Moderne, 11; Avenue du Président-Wilson, Paris 16. Métro: Iéna or Place de l'Alma. Open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:30 and on weekends from 10:00 to 18:45. Info. Tel.: 01 53 67 40 00.

Expolangues is an annual salon all about languages and how to learn them. How to use them is something you can also learn at the salon if you are ready for a quick lesson in babel, because the exhibitors speak nearly everything; all in one place at one time.

From Thursday, 28. January to Sunday, 31. January; from 10:00 to 19:00, to 18:00 on Sunday. Entry 40 francs; free for language teachers and kids under 12. At the Grand Halle de la Villette, 211. avenue Jean Jaurés, Paris 19. Métro: Porte de Pantin. Info. Tel.: 01 41 90 47 60.

35th Numicarta is another short-term salon for the exhibition and sales of antique and modern collector's postcards, coins, 'jetons,' telephone cards and photos. On your marks, collectors! On Friday, 29. January and Saturday, 30. January only; from 10:00 to 19:00 - in the Marcel Cerda room at the huge Bercy sportpalace; entry door number 28. At 8. Boulevard de Bercy, Paris 12. Métro: Bercy, lines 6 and 14.

Touring Car Racing will also be held in the one-size-fits-all Palais des Omnisports de Paris Bercy - to give it its correct and full name - in mid-February. The posters for it are in certain métro stations and I was so bemused by the notion that I forgot to write down the details for this event.

Bercy, as it is known for short, also has motorcycle racing which can be suited for an indoor environment - but Touring Cars? The car pictured on the poster looks more like it is meant for Le Mans, so what bemused me was 'truth in advertising.' As big as Bercy is, I can't imagine this type of car clipping around inside it at its customary 230 kph top-speed.

Do You Know Juliette? If you take a look at her poster on poster page 1 in this issue you will at least know what she looks like. In fact, everybody knows what she looks like because this poster has been all over Paris for months now.

Juliette will be singing from Tuesday, 9. February until Valentine's Day at the Olympia every night at 20:30, except on Sundays when she will perform at 17:00. Her new album, which I have not heard, is called 'Assassins sans Couteaux.'

Tickets are available at all the usual places, including the Olympia, which is opposite number 43 in the Boulevard des Capucines, Paris 9. Métro: Madeleine. This concert hall is so famous it does not seem to be in the phone book or in any of my guides; therefore no exact address is given here. You can't miss it if you stand across the street from it.

'Palettes' Celebrates 10 Years: - If you are in a hotel room in Paris, France or Germany, the TV channel Arte will be showing a series of 45 films about paintings, by Alain Jaubert. On every Friday at 20:15 until 25. June. Filmed in cooperation with the major museums, the series is also available on video. The painting, 'Olympia' by Manet, can be seen live at the Musée d'Orsay.

Les Musées de France: - have a mail-order catalogue which you can order to have delivered to you. Write with your name and address to Les Musées de France, 60505 Chantilly Cedex, France. The catalogue can also be picked up at their shop, in the Forum des Halles, Porte Berger, level 2; from Monday to Saturday, from 10:30 to 19:15. Info. Tel.: 03 44 58 44 07 or Fax.: 33 3 44 62 80 25.

La Maison du Peuple is a novel written by Louis Guilloux and it is being performed as a theatre piece on the 100th anniversary of the author's birth by the Companie Marcel Maréchal at the Théâtre du Rond-Point Champs-Elysées, from Wednesday, 27. January, but not continuously, until Saturday, 20. February; at 18:30. One price: 50 francs. Info. Tel.: 01 44 95 98 10, for exact dates and reservations.

Don Juan by Molière - is already on the boards and continues until Saturday, 13. February. This production is a 'création collective' by the Footsbarn Traveling Theatre, which I think comes to Paris from the Auvergne. Performances are on Tuesdays at 19:00, the rest of the week at 20:00 and at 16:00 on Sundays. In the Grand Salle of the Athenée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet, Square de l'Opéra-Louis Jouvet, 7. Rue Boudeau, Paris 9. Métro: Harve Caumartin. Info. Tel.: 01 53 05 19 19.

La Fuite en Egypte - is by Bruno Bayen and most of the multi-page brochure about it is by him too, except for the parts by Robert Graves, Gérard Manly Hopkins and Georges Perec. The cast is four and there are 10 in the orchestra. Until Sunday, 14. February; from Tuesday to Saturday at 20:30 and on Sundays at 16:00. All of this can be found at the Théâtre de Gennevilliers, 41. Avenue des Grésillons in Gennenvilliers, which is across the Seine from Clichy. Métro: Gabriel-Péri, on line 13. Info. Tel.: 01 41 32 26 26.

Who Are The French? - This exhibition - called 'Toute la France' - is about all the people who immigrated to France from 1880 to the present, and there are around 700 items on view - quite a lot of them 'arty.' The names in a 'Who's Who' in France would look like they've come from the world's edition of a telephone directory.

Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, 129. Rue de Grenelle, Paris 7. Métro: Varenne or Solférino. From Tuesday to Friday, from 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30; Thursdays to 19:00. On Saturday from 12:30 to 17:30 and on Sundays from 14:00 to 17:30.

The Louvre is never finished - never! - and seems to operate on some expansion system normally found only in outer space. The Louvre, however, is in Paris and it contents itself with expanding its own interior space into yet more - yes, more! - space for exhibitions.

So then, the Italian wing has added six 'large-format' frescos; two by Botticelli, one by Fra Angelico and three by Luini. These are all in the 15th and 16th century periods and are 'part two' of a three-part expansion; of which the third part will be completed 'next' spring.

Find these new marvels on the first floor of the Denon wing, near the stairway with the 'Winged Victory of Samothrace' [Third century, BC] Everybody in Paris, both residents and visitors know where the Louvre is, so I'm not putting in its address here. For your convenience though - Info. Tel.: 01 40 20 51 51.

Hôtel de Ville Skating Rink - Patinoire - Eisbahn: - at the Place de la Hôtel de Ville. The official Christmas decor is gone but the skaters keep twirling around; with two extra twirl-go-rounds at either end of ice-skating rink. No charge. Ice-skate rentals. Until 7. March 1999. Open from 9:00 to 22:00 daily.

Retromobile '99 - is coming soon. This year the main features will be the custom cars of famous people such as a Pope, a dictator, a writer, a military governor and the liberator of the governed. Citroën will be celebrating 80 years of existence and there will also be 50th anniversary of the Formule One Grand Prix. Matra, also will be having its 30th anniversary.

The dates for this year's edition are Friday, 12. February until Sunday, 21. February. The event takes place at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, and will be in the Hall 2/1 like last year. If old boats are your bag, 'Retro-Nautique,' featuring Horace Dodge's 'cigar' racer, concocted by Harry Miller. The boat show takes place at the same time, in the same place.

Forum des Images: -which used to be known as the Vidéothèque, will be showing an international selection of 'director's' films made especially for television; and in parallel a selection of 'alternative' TV programs, such as 'Paper Tiger' from the USA. Censorship will also be treated, with Marcel Ophüls' long-banned 'Le Chagrin et la Pitié' as an example. From Wednesday, 27. January to Tuesday, 9. February, at the Nouveau Forum des Halles, Porte Saint-Estache. Paris 1. Info. Tel.: 01 44 76 62 00.