In this cultured city, the abundance of exhibitions that one could attend can be rather overwhelming. But if you have some time and money in your hand, your effort will be richly rewarded, for the curation of these exhibitions means dispersed work of arts are shown together for a short period of time. The window of opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

Marguerite Gérard : Artist, 1789 in the Workshop of Fragonard
(10th September 2009 – 6th December 2009)

Over 60 portraits and drawings, from a female artists revered in her time, the works of Marguerite Gérard are on exhibit at the Musée Cognacq-Jay. Living in Louvre during the period, her works feature portraits of her family, friends, and people of consequences.

Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese – Rivals in Renaissance
(17th September 2009 – 4th January 2010)

Rivals these artists may be, but the competitive streak between them resulted in some of the most amazing works of Venetian Renaissance. Inspiring each other to push their talents to the maximum, hundreds of years later, the world still marvell at their genius and appreciate the beautiful pieces that they’ve created and presented.

Renoir in the 20th Century
(23rd September 2009 – 4th January 2010)

This is an exhibition that one must NOT miss. In fact, book your tickets ahead because the queue at the National Galleries of the Grand Palais will be insanely long. Exploring the works of this Impressionist artist in his later years, this collection comes from both public and private loan, including paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Bruegel, Memling, Van Eyck… The Brukenthal Collection
(11th September 2009 – 11th January 2010)

Exhibiting at the Musée Jacquemart-André is a wonderful collection of Flemish arts, by the grand masters of 15th to 17th century. The fifty pieces on loan from Muzeul Naţional Brukenthal of Romania are shown for the very first time in France, and you can even download the podcast (in French) prior to your visit.

The name Tiffany is synonymous in popular culture as the great jeweller. From Holly Golightly with her Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to Marilyn Monroe’s best friend – the diamonds, to Ugly Betty’s Daniel Meade who loves to shop at Tiffany’s & Co., this reputation has long been sealed.

However, one must also not overlook the marvellous works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the founder of Tiffany’s & Co., whose life was that of a celebrated artist, innovator and glass designer. His renowned art nouveau panel of glass window The Four Seasons won a gold medal in Paris during Exposition Universelle 1900, and to this day, is still much admired (although it is now in several panels instead of one magnificent piece). And if you’ve heard about Favrile iridescent glass, well, it was something that he had patented.

The Morse Museum in Florida houses the most comprehensive collection of his works.

Now though, you get a chance to take a closer look at some 160 pieces of his works, in an exhibition entitled Louis Comfort Tiffany : Colors and Light at Musée du Luxembourg.

Window of Bella Apartment

The exhibition is divided into several themes, exploring his early career and his interest in the art of glassmaking (as opposed to his family trade of jewellery and silverworks making), the recognition of his works in Europe, the stained glasses, the Favrile pieces, and the expansion into decorative art pieces including lavishly coloured lamps.

It was his unique and innovative style of glassmaking, by incorporating various impurities to create a bloom of colours within the glass pieces, rather than merely painting stains onto transparent glasses, that brought the attention of the world to his genius. Is it any wonder then, till this day, his pieces are still coveted as collectors’ items and fetch great values.

The exhibition runs daily from Wednesday 16 September 2009 till Sunday 17 January 2010, with variable opening hours depending on when you plan to visit. Check out the reservation page for more details.