Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, the creator of the 1740 French fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast,” actually drew her inspiration from real historical events. In the 1500s, a man named Petrus Gonsalvus was born in Tenerife, Spain, with a rare genetic condition called “hypertrichosis,” or “werewolf syndrome.”
The work of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) was dismissed during his lifetime, with his genius not being recognized until after his death. His painting style changed drastically throughout his life, and in his final ten years, he created over 2,000 pictures. These pictures can be found in collections all over the world.
While some people would turn away from abandoned or decaying buildings, contemporary French photographer Romain Veillon is drawn towards them. A childhood interest in exploring his grandmother’s abandoned truck factory turned into a desire to capture the unique beauty these locations hold. A longtime photographer, he eventually combined both interests.
Anyone who grew up playing with LEGOs knows there is something quite satisfying about assembling the small colorful blocks to build a castle, car, spaceship, landmark or other magical creation. LEGO buffs also know what a treat it was to graduate from regular blocks to special building sets, which allowed them to construct near-exact replicas of their favorite characters and scenes.
When the legendary German modern dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch died suddenly in 2009, a mere five days after receiving a cancer diagnosis, the dance world was unsure what would become of her company, “Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.”
Mugler, who was born in Strasbourg, France, and studied dance before turning to design, is known for more than just his hyper-feminized fashion and perfume creations. A talented photographer and filmmaker, he has worked with the likes of singer George Michael and actress Juliette Binoche. He has also created costumes for the Festival d’Avignon and Beyoncé’s tours and music videos.
Long before there was a modern trend of minimalistic living, the British Romani, or gypsies knew how to live simply. As a nomadic culture, they traveled only with what they could carry or fit into a cart or wagon.
Born in Argentina to a Russian Jewish family in 1925, Adolfo Kaminsky is a former member of the underground French Resistance. During World War II, Kaminsky helped as many as 14,000 Jewish people escape persecution by forging identity papers.
François Delarozière and the theatrical puppet collective La Machine recently presented their new stunning creation: a nearly 50-foot-tall robotic Minotaur made of unpainted lime tree wood and metal. The mythical beast was created for “Le Gardien du Temple” (The Guardian of the Temple) show in Toulouse, France.
The Giacometti Foundation celebrates the exceptional talent of Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) at the new Giacometti Institute, which officially opened its doors at 5 Rue Victor Schœlcher in the 14th arrondissement, in Paris, France.
