Laval Part I. And the Robert Tatin Museum

When we were in Paris three years ago we were invited by Michele's brother to visit their home in Laval, France.  It was such a delightful weekend and we were thrilled when the invitation was extended again.  Tom rented a car, we met Michele at Montparnasse Station and set out for Laval.
It is a beautiful city of 52,000 people which dates back to the 11th century and straddles the Mayenne River near the border of Britanny and Normandy.

We arrived around lunch time and were greeted by Olivier and Claire.

They were in the San Francisco area about a year ago and we got to see them then and it was so good to see them once again.  A feast was prepared for our lunch.  Claire started us with appetizers and mojitos, while Olivier grilled the meat for lunch.  A fantastic lunch was served!

Afterwards, they suggested we might visit a museum not too far from Laval.

Robert Tatin was a most creative artist.  He was a painter, a sculptor, a ceramicist, a builder and much more.  After many years of traveling the world and working all over France, he returned to the countryside near his birth place in Laval.  At age 60 he purchased an old rundown farmhouse in Cosse le Vivien and worked on it for the next twenty years until his death.  This was his retirement house which he and his fifth wife remodeled and lived in while he built his museum attached to it.

The museum starts with the avenue of Giants.  Huge cement statues representing important figures at different stages of Tatin's life.

Nineteen of these statues were erected on either side of a pathway, leading to his house.

The dragon acts as a guard to the house, and the Garden of Meditations.

Behind the facade are several rooms which contains many of his paintings and art pieces.

You can see native cultures from Mexico, Central and South America plays a big part in his later work.

Included here are some of his many works.

He even gave his creation the name, "Etrange Musee" (Strange Museum), and I'm sure you can see why!  The artist is buried according to his dictates in the garden in front of the house.

Back to Olivier and Claire's house for another delicious meal and off to bed.

Return to Laval and a visit to a "Strange" Museum

Saturday morning we picked up a rental car and together with Michele we set out on the three hour drive to Laval, France.  Michele's brother and his family Claire, Camille and Salome live there and they had invited us to visit them again.  We will return to Paris Sunday evening and I will post pictures and a summary of our activities Monday morning

Paris--Hotel Drouot. (The Auctions)

Our friend, Donna told us about Drouot, the auction house.  Always up for a new adventure, we made plans to meet at Hotel Drouot.

It's a large auction house in Paris, known for fine art, antiques and antiquities.  It consists of sixteen halls hosting seventy independent auction firms, which operate under the umbrella of Drouot. Each room contains items from a prominent firm for auction.

We had fun looking at all the items.  There was jewelry, Asian items, silver, a lot of art work, furniture and other beautiful things.

Every auction firm has its own catalog with all the items listed for auction today with an estimated selling value.

People were closely examining items for authenticity.

Here the auctioneer from Remy le Fur & Associes sells an item.  It was so fun to look even though there was no bidding from us!

Looking works up an appetite.  Today it's pizza and Donna knows just the place.

The pizza was delicious and we even brought home enough for dinner.

Back to the Bagatelle and then to the Foundation Louis Vitton

We've waited for the rain to clear up so our pictures of the Parc de Bagatelle would be bright and clear, and I think they are.  Tom and I met Michele at the Metro and we made our way to the Parc by way of the bus.  I will paraphrase from my last blog on the Bagatelle.  Paris owes this park to
Marie Antoinette.  She had a wager with her brother-in-law that he couldn't complete a small palace and gardens in less than three months.  He hired 1000 craftsmen and won the bet,  it was completed in 63 days.  It's not the palace that draws the people, but the gardens.  Come take a stroll with us through this magnificent garden.  Not only will you see roses, but also peacocks, baby peacocks, cats and a variety of flowers.

It's hot today!  86 degrees might not seem that hot, but we've been in the sun all morning and the humidity is high.  We stopped for lunch to cool off and refresh.

Michele recommend we go to the  Foundation Louis Vitton.  We almost vetoed this, but decided to push on and we are so glad we did.  It was certainly not to be missed.  As we turned the corner you couldn't miss the building!

Bernard Arnault commissioned American Frank Gehry to design the Foundation Louis Vitton as a new space to discover contemporary artistic creation.  From the brochure--"Geometric curves and lines match the shapes of the garden and the twelve glass sails play with the light and reflections of water from the basin in which the building stands.  The building is a constant interplay of outside and inside and invites the visitor on a walk through a space of shifting perspectives to create a unique architectural experience".
The featured exhibit was by Daniel Buren.  He added all the color to the outside of the building, which is usually a clear color.  The color blocks really add to the interest.

Inside, the exhibit is "China in the Collection".

We were amazed at the creativity of the artists.  Even if you're not a fan of this kind of art, it can't help but hold your interest due to the size and the subject matter.

 We went to each level to see the views.

The gardens on the property were perfectly manicured and being enjoyed by children and adults alike.

We are so glad we had this wonderful day even though we had to come home and take a nap!