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France

The planned memorial to victims of slavery will be located in the Tuileries Gardens in the center of Paris.

France Seeks Proposals for Memorial to Victims of Slavery

Currently, Paris is home to just one significant monument recognizing the country’s history of enslavement

Works by German artist Paul Klee are projected on June 3, 2020, at the Bassins de Lumières digital art center in Bordeaux.

Former Nazi Submarine Base Transformed Into Digital Art Gallery

The concrete bunker once housed Axis U-boats. Now, it features floor-to-ceiling projections of works by Gustav Klimt, Paul Klee

Paul Rivet addresses a congress of the French Socialist Party on July 2, 1948.

The Museum Director Who Defied the Nazis

For years, Paul Rivet opposed the ideology fueling Hitler’s rise. Then he helped French fighters take the battle underground

Researchers estimate that sea spray could release up to 136,000 tons of microplastic particles into the air per year.

The Salty Sea Breeze Contains Microplastics, New Study Suggests

Researchers recorded the tiny particles in ocean air off the coast of France

This week's selections include Enemy of All Mankind, Who Ate the First Oyster? and Daughter of the Boycott.

Books of the Month

A Notorious 17th-Century Pirate, the Many Lives of the Louvre and Other New Books to Read

The seventh installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

Rutabagas are a cross between turnips and cabbages first described in 1620

France Is Slowly Bringing Back Its ‘Forgotten Vegetables’

Root vegetables like rutabagas and Jerusalem artichokes were ration staples during the Nazi occupation of Paris

This week's selections include The Betrayal of the Duchess, Anonymous Is a Woman and Nerve.

Books of the Month

The Science of Fear, the Royal Scandal That Made France Modern and Other New Books to Read

The fourth installment in our weekly series spotlights titles that may have been lost in the news amid the COVID-19 crisis

A footpath weaves through ferns and trees on Denecourt Trail No. 6. The designer made sure the paths meandered around interesting features.

The Invention of Hiking

Follow the Frenchman who remade the woods surrounding a royal estate into the world’s first nature preserve

Cartoonist Albert Uderzo poses with Asterix (R) and Obelix (L) prior to a press conference at the Monnaie de Paris on March 25, 2015.

Albert Uderzo, Co-Creator of ‘Asterix and Obelix’ Comics, Dies at 92

The pint-sized, mustachioed Gaul immortalized in the French cartoon has spawned films, a theme park and many other spin-offs

Policemen patrol the streets near Notre-Dame on March 17, 2020, as a strict lockdown comes into effect.

Covid-19

Two Men Arrested After Trying to Steal Stones From Notre-Dame

The suspects were found drunk and hiding under a tarpaulin, reportedly in possession of small stones from the fire-ravaged cathedral

Restoration work at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has paused as France works to control the spread of COVID-19.

Covid-19

Notre-Dame Restoration Pauses Amid France’s Two-Week Lockdown

Lead decontamination policies enacted in August are now in conflict with measures to prevent spread of COVID-19

A view of the deserted courtyard outside the closed Louvre

Covid-19

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Cultural World

Museum closures and event cancellations abound as officials rush to contain the new coronavirus’ spread

Two winners split the Plougastel-Daoulas contest's grand prize of €2,000.

Has This Boulder’s Mysterious, Centuries-Old Inscription Finally Been Deciphered?

Two newly publicized translations suggest the message is a memorial to a man who died in the 1700s

Tourists wait to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

More Than One Million People Saw the Louvre’s Blockbuster Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition

The record-breaking show attracted almost double the number of visitors as the Paris museum’s 2018 Delacroix retrospective

Félicette, a former stray who was sent into space by French researchers in 1963, now has a bronze statue in her honor at France's International Space University.

Félicette, the First Cat in Space, Finally Gets a Memorial

Last month, a team unveiled a bronze statue honoring the feline, who launched on a suborbital mission in 1963

Changing temperatures affect how quickly wine grapes ripen, how sweet they are, and how much acid they have, all of which influences the quality of the end product.

English Sparkling Wines Challenge the Supremacy of Champagne, France—Thanks to Climate Change

As average temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more common, vintners are forced to adapt year to year

A Louvre curator purchased the looted artwork during a 1942 auction.

Art Historian Identifies Ten Nazi-Looted Paintings in the Louvre’s Collections

Emmanuelle Polack made the discovery less than one month after she was brought on board to study the museum’s ill-gotten artwork

Gustave Courbet's Young Ladies on the Banks of the Seine is one of some 100,000 artworks now freely available online.

Education During Coronavirus

You Can Now Download Images of 100,000 Artworks From Prominent Paris Museums’ Collections

Paris Musées, which manages 14 important institutions, has released a trove of images into the public domain

A couple passes by the fence in front of Notre-Dame in Paris on December 24, 2019.

Is Notre-Dame Too Fragile to Be Saved?

The cathedral’s rector says there is a “50 percent chance” that scaffolding will collapse, causing further damage

Notre Dame Cathedral is seen during restoration work more than eight months after the fire that ravaged the emblematic monument on December 18, 2019 in Paris, France.

For the First Time in 200 Years, Christmas Services Will Not Be Held at Notre-Dame

The building remains fragile after suffering a devastating fire in April

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