Author: jmerhar

Château de Malmaison: Where Roses Reign

Château de Malmaison: Where Roses Reign

Many tourists traveling to Paris look for a dose of sugar coated history by heading to the Palace of Versailles or Fontainebleau. Both famous residences are dripping with opulence, but there is a hidden gem waiting patiently to be unwrapped by those interested in the 

Persian Rice (Karl Müller & Co)

Persian Rice (Karl Müller & Co)

This Persian rice is meant to be a side dish, but it really doesn’t need an accompaniment.  It’s savory, sweet and filling.  The combination of pistachios, currants and mint transport taste-buds to the Middle East, without the hassle of packing and jet-lag. Preparation is easy: Saute 

Gruene Hall: A Snake.  A Beer.  A Memory.

Gruene Hall: A Snake. A Beer. A Memory.

Walking into Gruene Hall, boots are greeted not only by worn wooden floorboards, but with a clacking sound as heels scoot over weathered metal license plates that are nailed to the floor. I wasn’t sure if their purpose was to add visual interest or just plain necessity to cover 

Sarah Lucas: Au Natural

Sarah Lucas: Au Natural

The Hammer Musuem’s senior curator, Anne Ellegood chose Self Portrait with Fried Eggs to headline their exhibit, Sarah Lucas: Au Natural.  This self-portrait of the artist is raw and hard, unlike the eggs over easy propped on each of Ms. Lucas’s breasts. The verbiage Ms. 

Mithu Sen: (Not so) Pretty in Pink

Mithu Sen: (Not so) Pretty in Pink

( Sen, Mithu, Banana Couple, 2006. Dental polymer, artificial teeth, glue, and thread, 10 x 3 x 6 in.)   Artist Mithu Sen smiles recalling the story of when she was a little girl, dressed in a pretty pink frock she overheard a guest mention to another, 

Lee Krasner: Unencumbered

Lee Krasner: Unencumbered

(Krasner, Lee. Prophecy, 1956. Oil on Cotton Duck. 58 1/8 x 34 in. Private Collection.)   Lee Krasner exhibit at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt. Closes Jan. 2020.   American Abstract Expressionist, Lee Krasner was born in 1908 into a Ukrainian Jewish family in New York. 

Diana Krall: Under the Stars

Diana Krall: Under the Stars

Sitting under the stars of Ghent was a woman far from home.  She spoke fondly of traveling with her two children and husband across the ocean.  Her black attire was both practical and highlighted her golden shoulder length hair.  Her flawless porcelain complexion didn’t compete with color stained 

Barefoot in Paris: Père Lachaise 

Barefoot in Paris: Père Lachaise 

Cemeteries train the eye to glance downward. As if the thought of death weren’t somber enough, most are flat and gray.  The only breath of life – occasional wilting flowers that rest beside headstones. If you have the opportunity to visit the cemetery, Père Lachaise in Paris, you’ll find it 

Dans le Bleu: Candor in Cigarettes & Crimson

Dans le Bleu: Candor in Cigarettes & Crimson

Nineteenth century French painter, Amélie Beaury-Saurel was a trailblazer. You’d be mistaken to give Dans le Bleu the once over.  This painting is more than a pretty face. On first glance, Beaury-Saurel appears to have painted an idle lady of leisure, but in fact, the woman is 

Table for One: Brussels

Table for One: Brussels

  “How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary sea-bird that opens its wings on the stake. Let me sit here for ever with bare things, this coffee cup, this knife, this fork,