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France

Real tennis was played indoors, usually in a court with high windows, a sloping roof and a spectators’ gallery.

Why European Royals, From Henry VIII to Louis X, Loved Playing ‘Real Tennis,’ the So-Called Sport of Kings

Modern tennis’ predecessor was a different—and potentially more dangerous—test of athletic prowess

Greater flamingos are abundant in the Camargue, a coastal region in southern France.

Migratory Flamingos Age Differently From Resident Ones, Offering a New Clue About Getting Old

A new study of the pink birds in France finds that aging sets in later for flamingos that migrate, though they face higher mortality in early adulthood

Some scholars argue that the sprawling medieval tapestry is too fragile to be moved.

French Official Rules That 1,000-Year-Old Bayeux Tapestry Isn’t Too Fragile to Travel to London

The 230-foot-long medieval tapestry is scheduled to go on view at the British Museum next year, but critics worry that transporting the delicate artifact is too risky

The Apollo fountain, which depicts the mythological god riding his chariot

You Can Now Have a Conversation With the Statues at Versailles Using Artificial Intelligence

Through the palace’s smartphone app, visitors can speak with nearly two dozen stunning sculptures and fountains at the historic site in France

Artist Franck Duval, known as FKDL, works on a mural Josephine Baker in Paris.

Women Who Shaped History

A Vibrant Mural Celebrating Josephine Baker’s ‘Two Loves’—‘My Country and Paris’—Has Been Unveiled in France

The colorful street art, which features a quote from one of her songs, honors the iconic singer, dancer and civil rights activist’s enduring legacy

The Louvre's current visitor entrance is underneath a pyramid designed by I.M. Pei in the Napoléon courtyard.

The Louvre Is Asking Architects to Submit Their Design Ideas for an Ambitious $316 Million Expansion

The Paris museum has launched a competition to design a new entrance and underground exhibition spaces, including one dedicated to the “Mona Lisa”

Guimard's Place de la Bastille Métro entrance was demolished in the 1960s.

The Architect Who Designed the Iconic Entrances to the Paris Métro Is Finally Getting the Attention He Deserves

When Hector Guimard’s subway designs were unveiled in the early 1900s, the public rejected his Art Nouveau style. Soon, a new museum devoted to his work will open in the city

Napoleon may have gifted this bicorne hat to the loyal General Mouton.

Divorce Papers and Sauce-Stained Sleeves Reveal the Personal Side of Napoleon’s Rise and Fall

More than 100 objects connected to the French emperor just sold at auction. The collection sheds light on the man and the myth in stunningly intimate detail

The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, audio recordings and more.

The Louvre Invited 100 Contemporary Artists to Copy—and Reinterpret—Its Masterpieces. Here’s What They Made

The results range from faithful reproductions to complete reinventions of renowned works by artists such as Delacroix, Goya and Vermeer

Box in a Valise (From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy), Marcel Duchamp, 1935-41

See How Marcel Duchamp Broke the Rules and Shocked the Art World Again and Again

The subversive French artist is receiving his first retrospective in the United States in more than 50 years. Decades after his death, his work is still influencing contemporary art

Salvage archaeologists clean the mosaic floor's elaborate centerpiece.

Cool Finds

See a Vibrant, Colorful Mosaic Discovered at an Ancient Roman Settlement in France

Perched on a hill overlooking the town of Alès, the site, which was salvaged before construction on modern houses began, also boasts advanced architecture

A French woman from Guadeloupe is the only known person in the world with the "Gwada negative" blood type.

Doctors Detected a Mysterious Antibody in a French Woman’s Body. It Turned Out to Be a Brand New Blood Type

Called “Gwada negative,” it marks the discovery of the 48th known blood group system in humans

A statue of Cézanne is his hometown of Aix-en-Provence

Paul Cézanne’s Hometown of Aix-en-Provence Is Finally Celebrating Its Most Famous Native Son

This summer, the artist’s historic home and studio are opening to the public alongside a massive retrospective exhibition at the museum that once refused his works

The jugs and plates appear to have been made during the 16th century in Liguria, a seaside region in northwest Italy near the French border.

Rare 16th-Century Shipwreck Discovered at Record Depth in French Waters

The 98-foot-long vessel was transporting ceramic jugs, ceramic plates and metal bars when it sank off southeastern France nearly 500 years ago

Vincent Willem van Gogh’s Studio, Kuwakubo Toru, 2015

These Powerful Paintings Show Why van Gogh Fell in Love With Japan—and Why Japan Fell in Love With van Gogh

A new exhibition examines how the Dutch artist drew inspiration from Japanese art. It also explores how he influenced 20th- and 21st-century Japanese painters and photographers

Aerial view of the villa, with thermal baths at the bottom right, the garden and fountain in the center, and the agricultural fields expanding to the left

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Stumble Onto Sprawling Ancient Roman Villa During Construction of a Road in France

Located near Auxerre, the grand estate once possessed an exorbitant level of wealth, with thermal baths and heated floors

Titled The Despair, the sculpture depicts a woman holding her leg.

Cool Finds

This Stunning Sculpture Was Sitting on a Family’s Piano. It Turned Out to Be an Original Rodin

Titled “The Despair,” the rare artwork just sold at auction for $1 million. For many years, its owners had assumed it was merely a copy

Natalia Pavlovna Paley, also known as Natalie Paley, was the granddaughter of Alexander II of Russia and a cousin of Nicholas II.

This Exiled Romanov Princess Fled the Bloodshed of the Russian Revolution and Reinvented Herself as a Fashion Icon

A new exhibition spotlights Natalia Pavlovna Paley, the granddaughter of a czar. She built a new life for herself in France and the U.S., appearing in films and on the pages of glossy magazines

At the Café (1878), the left-hand side of Manet's abandonded painting of the Brasserie Reichshoffen

Manet Cut This Painting in Half 150 Years Ago. Now, the Two Sides Are Back Together for a Rare Reunion

The two resulting artworks, “At the Café” and “Corner of a Café-Concert,” both bear witness to vibrant social scenes from 19th-century Paris

Jane Birkin with her original prototype bag

The Original Birkin Bag Was Made After Actress Jane Birkin Spilled Her Belongings on the CEO of Hermès in 1983

The iconic accessory would become one of the most expensive handbags in fashion history. Now, the prototype is heading to the auction block, where it’s likely to fetch an exorbitant sum

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