https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The escalating Middle East war has raised concerns over the safety of masterpieces on loan from France to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, sparking questions about the security of the famed museum's only foreign branch. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260312/fears-grow-for-french-loans-at-louvre-abu-dhabi-as-war-rages Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:45:13 +0100 fears-grow-for-french-loans-at-louvre-abu-dhabi-as-war-rages The world's leading museum of Impressionist art is sending an unprecedented number of its masterpieces on tour in France to mark the movement's 150th anniversary. https://www.thelocal.fr/20231122/impressionist-masterpieces-set-for-tour-de-france-to-mark-milestone-anniversary Wed, 22 Nov 2023 09:53:01 +0100 impressionist-masterpieces-set-for-tour-de-france-to-mark-milestone-anniversary French-born artist Françoise Gilot was a rising star of the art scene in Paris when she met Picasso in 1943 https://www.thelocal.fr/20230607/french-artist-and-picassos-one-time-muse-francoise-gilot-dies-aged-101 Wed, 07 Jun 2023 11:02:32 +0200 french-artist-and-picassos-one-time-muse-francoise-gilot-dies-aged-101 Halim Flowers was 16 when he was arrested in the United States, tried as an adult then jailed for murder in 1998. Now aged 42, he is a prolific artist, poet and writer exhibiting in Paris. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230516/the-us-artist-who-went-from-prison-cell-to-paris-show Tue, 16 May 2023 13:25:54 +0200 the-us-artist-who-went-from-prison-cell-to-paris-show Rising high beyond an ancient Roman arena in Arles, a tall, twisted tower created by Frank Gehry shimmers in the sun, the latest futuristic addition to this southern French city known for its World Heritage sites. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210626/futuristic-gehry-tower-opens-in-world-heritage-arles Sat, 26 Jun 2021 12:43:51 +0200 futuristic-gehry-tower-opens-in-world-heritage-arles A reproduction of the skeleton of Napoleon's favourite horse Marengo has been hung over the French emperor's tomb in Paris - to the outrage of his present-day fans as they commemorate 200 years since his death. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210508/napoleon-fans-outraged-by-horse-memorial Sat, 08 May 2021 19:20:26 +0200 napoleon-fans-outraged-by-horse-memorial One of the leading museums in Paris, the Musee D'Orsay, will soon carry the name of former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing who oversaw its creation, the government announced on Monday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210329/paris-museum-to-be-renamed-for-ex-french-president Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:42:30 +0200 paris-museum-to-be-renamed-for-ex-french-president A stolen cutter, CCTV footage, phone taps, loose-tongued suspects... this is how an artwork by famed street artist Banksy painted on the door of the Bataclan club in Paris was discovered in Italy 18 months after being stolen. https://www.thelocal.fr/20200801/how-police-reclaimed-a-stolen-bataclan-banksy-in-italy Sat, 01 Aug 2020 14:08:13 +0200 how-police-reclaimed-a-stolen-bataclan-banksy-in-italy A rare masterpiece by Italian early Renaissance master Cimabue that was discovered in a French kitchen was sold on Sunday for 24 million euros – some five times the initial estimate. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191028/rare-italian-masterpiece-found-in-french-kitchen-sold-for-24-million Mon, 28 Oct 2019 10:00:59 +0100 rare-italian-masterpiece-found-in-french-kitchen-sold-for-24-million An early Renaissance painting by the Italian master Cimabue goes under the hammer on Sunday, a few weeks after the rare artwork was found hanging in an unsuspecting elderly Frenchwoman's kitchen. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191025/rare-italian-masterpiece-found-in-french-kitchen-expected-to-sell-for-6-million Fri, 25 Oct 2019 17:09:23 +0200 rare-italian-masterpiece-found-in-french-kitchen-expected-to-sell-for-6-million An Italian court on Wednesday rejected a last-minute bid to halt the loan of Leonardo Da Vinci's iconic Vitruvian Man drawing and other works to France's Louvre museum, ending a bitter cultural row. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191016/should-italy-loan-da-vinci-vitruvian-man-to-france Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:09:43 +0200 should-italy-loan-da-vinci-vitruvian-man-to-france An Italian court has blocked the loan of Leonardo da Vinci's famed Vitruvian Man sketch to the Louvre in Paris, ahead of an exibition marking the 500th anniversary of the artist's death. https://www.thelocal.fr/20191010/italian-court-rules-against-lending-da-vinci-work-to-france Thu, 10 Oct 2019 11:18:44 +0200 italian-court-rules-against-lending-da-vinci-work-to-france An early Renaissance masterpiece by the Florentine master Cimabue has been discovered in an old lady's kitchen in a town near Paris, art experts said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190924/old-french-lady-discovers-cimabue-renaissance-masterpiece-in-her-kitchen Tue, 24 Sep 2019 12:04:05 +0200 old-french-lady-discovers-cimabue-renaissance-masterpiece-in-her-kitchen Facebook has agreed to settle a years-long legal battle with a French teacher who sued after the social media giant shuttered his account when he posted a renowned 19th-century painting that features a woman's genitals, his lawyer said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190802/facebook-pays-up-in-censorship-battle-over-french-vagina-painting Fri, 02 Aug 2019 10:33:06 +0200 facebook-pays-up-in-censorship-battle-over-french-vagina-painting Later this year, the Louvre in Paris will host an exhibition of masterpieces by the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci to mark his death 500 years ago in France. But the work that in recent months has been the intense focus of scrutiny by the media and da Vinci specialists, may not be on show. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190428/mystery-of-salvator-mundi-the-worlds-most-costly-painting Sun, 28 Apr 2019 13:21:58 +0200 mystery-of-salvator-mundi-the-worlds-most-costly-painting Expensive decorative scaffolding, or a welcome addition to the French capital's most famous avenue? New designer fountains on the Champs-Elysees have reopened a debate in Paris about how to add modern twists to the city's beloved classic architecture. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190413/scaffolding-or-modern-art-jury-out-on-new-paris-fountains Sat, 13 Apr 2019 10:18:27 +0200 scaffolding-or-modern-art-jury-out-on-new-paris-fountains The revolver with which Vincent Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself is to go under the hammer, a Paris auction house said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190403/gun-believed-to-have-killed-van-gogh-to-go-under-the-hammer-in-paris Wed, 03 Apr 2019 11:19:21 +0200 gun-believed-to-have-killed-van-gogh-to-go-under-the-hammer-in-paris French artist JR on Friday put the final touches to a huge collage in the courtyard of the Louvre, his latest eye-popping-project unveiled to mark the 30th birthday of the Louvre's glass pyramid. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190330/french-artist-jr-promises-latest-work-will-reveal-louvre-pyramids-secret Sat, 30 Mar 2019 16:28:53 +0100 french-artist-jr-promises-latest-work-will-reveal-louvre-pyramids-secret The tomb of surrealist American artist Man Ray' in the famous Montparnasse cemetery in Paris was desecrated on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190328/paris-tomb-of-us-artist-man-ray-desecrated Thu, 28 Mar 2019 10:12:24 +0100 paris-tomb-of-us-artist-man-ray-desecrated Experts appointed by President Emmanuel Macron will advise him on Friday to allow the return of thousands of African artworks held in French museums, a radical shift in policy which could put pressure on other former colonial powers. https://www.thelocal.fr/20181121/france-urged-to-return-looted-african-art-treasures Wed, 21 Nov 2018 12:45:22 +0100 france-urged-to-return-looted-african-art-treasures