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Artist

Man who dug holes near Van Gogh’s grave told to leave France

The Belarusian said he was digging the holes as part of an ‘artistic act’

Paris to have street named after David Bowie (even though UK does not)

The iconic name will be formally unveiled next week

Whistling folk singer Roger Whittaker dies at French home

The singer sold nearly 50 million albums worldwide. The 1969 song Durham Town is among his well-known hits

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Exhibition on Banksy continues to travel through France

The show, which has donated more than €190,000 to charities since opening, is now on its eighth stop - in Chartres

How do I register as an artist to sell paintings?

Painters fall under the artistes-auteurs tax and social security regime

Franco-British singer gets career boost with two music awards

Maddy Street from Normandy has been gaining new fans at festivals this summer

Jane Birkin: Tributes pour in for the ‘most French of British artists’

The Anglo-French singer, known in France for her strong British accent, died at her Paris home on Sunday

Fifth book for Perry Taylor whose images feature in The Connexion

The Anglo-Gascon artist’s work is known for its affectionate look at French life – and its ducks and berets

Varian Fry: The American who was a ‘Schindler in France’

The journalist, whose story is to be dramatised by Netflix, helped save the lives of some 2,500 people at risk from the Nazis by smuggling them out of France to safer countries including the US

New York subway train hits and kills two French graffiti artists

The pair have been described as two artists on the rise in Toulouse who had a dream of tagging the famed subway

The ‘moving rock’ off coast of Marseille is actually a boat

‘I wanted to celebrate the Calanques, make something fun while adding to the natural scenery,’ artist Julien Berthier told The Connexion.

Claude Monet: French impressionist who went to war for his art

In 1861, Monet was drafted into the army and sent to Algeria. His rich father refused to buy him out unless he agreed to give up painting, but he refused

The only company making wooden jigsaws by hand in Europe is French

‘It is meticulous work but at the same time it is very creative’, says artisan

Simon Beck: The artist reveals the secrets of his snowshoe drawings

‘When I did my first drawing I was amazed to see how good it looked from a chairlift the next day,’ the former cartographer told The Connexion

From poverty to glory: Life of legendary French singer Edith Piaf

With little education and no music tuition, she became an international star and the sound of a post-war generation

Giant bronze cat statues amuse on Champs-Elysées

The display of huge cats is by Belgian artist Philippe Geluck, bringing welcome humour - but also some deeper messages - to the Paris avenue

David Hockney’s ‘Normandy period’ to be exhibited in Paris

Gallery owner and friend, Jean Frémon, is showcasing some of David Hockney's first paintings from settling in the Pays d’Auge two years ago

Best festivals and events in France October 2020

What's on this month in France? A fashion exhibition, a festival about architecture, a day celebrating nature and more...

The story behind artist Monet's great passion: water lilies

How to mimic Monet’s pond life: Cathy Thompson on a chance encounter and the artist’s passion for water lilies.

British artist to exhibit at major Auvergne art festival

A British artist’s fungi-inspired works will feature at a major outdoor exhibition from July.

Graffiti artist brightens French streets with tile art

A French street artist is brightening up the streets of Rouen (Seine-Maritime, Normandy) by painting tile-like traditional designs onto pavements, to make them “more charming” than the usual concrete.

French arts & culture news: July 2020

A round up of the arts and culture stories creating a buzz in France.

Calling budding writers and artists of all ages

Hurry to enter our new challenge - the deadline is April 30! Fun for all the family. Write, draw, sketch, scribble away...

French wilderness ideal for modern art ‘gallery’

Several works by British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, famous for his outdoor art installations, can now be found along a 150km hiking trail in southeast France

Why France has a new health minister

France’s former health minister Agnès Buzyn has been replaced by MP and doctor Olivier Véran, after Ms Buzyn joined the race for Paris mayor in the wake of the Benjamin Griveaux scandal.

A night at the museum: Paris Louvre to open non-stop

The Louvre museum in Paris has announced that it will stay open overnight for three consecutive nights this month - for free - to close out its “biggest ever” Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.

Two arrested over Banksy artwork stolen in Paris

Two people have been arrested in connection with the theft of a Banksy artwork in Paris, which is still missing.

Artist turns French beach into message for Australia

Giant fresco of koala drawn on sand in Nouvelle Aquitaine delivers dual message - with a little help from passers-by

Paris museum welcomes ‘Instagram artist in residence’

The Musée d’Orsay in Paris is to welcome a French “artist in residence” on its Instagram social media account, who will each week highlight one of the museum’s great artists as if they were still alive today.

Strike up a note-perfect, melodious tour de France

Discovering new areas of France is always a joy, and following a theme can open doors to unexplored places and people you might not otherwise discover

War artist gave new view of France's trench life

Phyllida Shaw is a researcher and a writer who has published an extraordinarily beautiful and sensitive book about life in the trenches during World War One based on the sketches of artist Morris Meredith Williams – who served as an officer in France from June 1916 to the end of the war – and letters home to his wife, Alice, who was also an artist.

French chocolatier marks Berlin Wall fall in chocolate

A French chocolatier has celebrated 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall by replicating part of the infamous structure - using one tonne of solid chocolate.

‘Biggest ever’ da Vinci show opens at Paris Louvre

Doors are now open to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre museum in Paris, with the show dubbed the “biggest ever retrospective” of the Renaissance polymath.

Paralysed musician composes album with his eyes

A French music producer who is paralysed and mute due to the degenerative muscle motor neurone disease (MND) has released his first solo album, made completely with his eyes. Connexion spoke to his wife Wahiba Gallart.

A portrait of the artist as chronicler of things past

Artist Pascal Convert is known for works that reveal shocking aspects of modern history – but, he tells The Connexion, he does not set out to upset

Artist Hockney revels in Normandy lifestyle

"The French know how to live. They know about pleasure," Bradford-born artist says of his decision to leave Los Angeles after 55 years and move to France

French artist to unveil massive motorway artwork

60m sculpture was originally planned to be installed near a road in Burgundy

French street art pioneer opens new career exhibition

Work by one of the pioneers of French street art over the past 57 years is now on show in a new exhibition in Avignon.

Bordeaux drains painted in cigarette butt waste alert

A team of artists in Bordeaux is painting drain grates and manhole covers to raise awareness of how much dropped cigarette butts contribute to river pollution.

US artist's wartime works on display in France

Norman Rockwell's famous Four Freedoms quartet among the works in exhibition in Normandy

New DNA study 500 years after da Vinci died in France

DNA from a lock of hair belonging to Leonardo da Vinci - which was first presented yesterday (May 2) - will now be used to shed more light on the polymath’s family, and his final years in France.

‘Most costly’ artwork due at Paris Louvre is missing

The “world’s most expensive painting”, which is due to be on show at the Paris Louvre museum this October, has mysteriously “disappeared” since its sale at auction in 2017.

Louvre's artwork falls apart hours after installation

Just one day after it was opened to the public, the anamorphosis art installation by the artist JR, to celebrate 30 years of the famous Louvre pyramid, has become “unstuck” and fell apart.

Louvre pyramid 30 years celebrated with new artwork

An artist has created a giant “anamorphosis” artwork around the glass pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris as part of celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the famous monument.

France gives young people €500 arts and culture pass

Young people in five French departments are to be given a free “culture pass” app pre-loaded with €500-worth of credit each, to improve their access to cultural and artistic activities in their area.

Paris street artist paints over ‘cowardly’ swastika

A street artist has hit back after his painting of late French politician and anti-Holocaust campaigner Simone Veil was defaced with the anti-semitic symbol of a swastika this week.

French artist walks Brittany in full suit of armour

A French performance artist who has made his name by confining himself into very small spaces is to take to the streets of Brittany while wearing a full suit of metal armour weighing almost 30kg.

Art restored with a time-travel flourish

Jane Hanks talks to the artist Blase about how he gives abandoned paintings a fresh twist

New artworks by street artist Banksy found in Paris

At least seven new artworks, suspected to be the work of controversial and much-loved British street artist Banksy, have been revealed across Paris, including behind the Bataclan music venue.

French social agency has mission to support artists

Despite its name, La Maison des Artistes is not a bar, a studio or a gallery about the history of the great masters... it is the social security organisation that works on behalf of artists.

Roussillon museum discovers half its artworks are fake

An art museum in the Pyrénées-Orientales has discovered that up to half of its exhibited paintings are fakes, with the fraud estimated to be worth €160,000 to the local mairie.

Artist arrested for naked pose in front of Mona Lisa

An artist has been arrested after taking naked portraits of himself in front of the Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre art gallery in Paris.

Monet’s glasses sold for $50,000

Possessions from famous artist prove popular

Man dubbed ‘French Banksy’ creates apocalyptic art

A French artist and graffiti painter, who has been dubbed “the French Banksy” after the anonymous British protest artist, has created a series of international dystopian paintings.

Monet's glasses sold for $50,000

Spectacles that belonged to impressionist master sold for more than 30 times pre-sale estimates at auction

Original 1939 Tintin drawing sold for €505,000

An original Tintin drawing by the famous cartoon’s creator, Hergé, has been sold in Paris for over half a million euros at auction.

Statue worth €425k stolen from Paris gallery

A bronze Botero statue worth €425,000 has been stolen apparently under the noses of staff and in easy view of security cameras at an art gallery in Paris.

Rodin, 100 years on: master sculptor’s enduring legacy

On November 10 a rare Auguste Rodin sculpture, La Toillette de Vénus , goes to auction in Paris. Samantha David looks at the artist's life

Photographer honours French redheads in photoshoot

A French photographer has held a photo shoot in Quimper (Finistère) designed to honour and celebrate redheads in France, as he claims that "prejudice" against them is "a French thing".

Artist paints mural for grandmother’s 100th birthday

A French artist has painted a huge wall mural in Bordeaux to celebrate his grandmother’s 100th birthday.