midnight rendevous

Tonite is one of those nights Harry and I would love to be able to morph into two couples to avoid missing the many things that happen on a warm spring evening this time of year.

The French Film Festival is around the corner. Art a 'la Mode is downtown at 1708 and everyone is in a good mood (even the French) because the weather has been splendid and Richmond certainly competes with Paris regarding beauty and passion when the rites of spring are in the air.
Back in 1994, before I lived in Richmond, I ran into my friend Issac Regelson in Paris. I was on sabbatical and he was "doing research.." He was actually digging dirt at an Archeological dig near Hotel de Ville and they discovered the oldest evidence of life on the right bank of Paris - the crown of a Merovingian Princess. Issac struck it with his shovel and proclaimed voila! ici!! or something like that. He doesn't speak French and no one on the dig spoke English but everyone got it. I remember reading about it in the NYHT back when it was a great paper. Issac loved Paris but he was the first to tell me Oh, Paris is great but the Champs-Elysee has nothing on Monument Ave... and after spending a lot of time on both Avenues I must agree. I hope some of the 25 or so artists in the French Delegation made it past Carytown to see Monument Ave before they headed home. I know many of them spent their time out of the cinema smoking and eating ribs on the deck of the rib place across the street.

We spent the day in the Byrd but left enough time to switch to creative black tie gear for the annual auction at 1708 Gallery. It is probably the strongest collection of artwork I've witnessed go on the block for the gallery. The auction raises programming funds for one of the nations oldest artist-run galleries. Everyone was in a good mood and it was nice seeing a frenzy over art from local, regional and well known artists by local collectors. A slide show of the event can be seen here if you are curious. There were many pieces I would love to have gone home with. After the auction Harry and I met up at the Byrd for the midnight presentation of the French Film Fest. There was a lovely energy in the air - not quite the Marais on a lovely spring night but very close!
A presentation on the infamous French film archvist and scholar Henri Langoise the opening night of the VCU French Film Festival.