Discovering Agnès Varda's Paris at the Carnavalet Museum
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Agnès Varda in "The Beaches of Agnès" (2007). CINÉ-TAMARIS
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Review The exhibition vividly explores the role the capital played in the work of the filmmaker who died in 2019, also highlighting her often overlooked photographic work. ★★★★☆
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Let's push open the doors of 86, rue Daguerre, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. It was here, in 1951, that Agnès Varda settled with her partner at the time, the sculptor Valentine Schlegel: two slum-like shops, separated by a courtyard-alley. The couple set up a studio, a photo lab, and a ceramics workshop there. With her mischievous eye, the young photographer documented the activities of Jean Vilar's troupe, creator of the Avignon Festival and later of the Théâtre national populaire. The streets of the capital served as a backdrop and inspired her. Agnès Varda took portraits of numerous artists there: Calder, Fellini, Brassaï (you must see the behind-the-scenes film of this shoot).
READ ALSO (2019) > Agnès Varda, the sparkling eyes of cinema
The Musée Carnavalet immerses us in a vivid way in Varda's Paris, revealing, alongside film excerpts ("Cléo de 5 à 7", "L'une chante, l'autre pas"), her often little-known photographic activity (for example, she boldly illustrates conceptual commissions for the monthly "Réalités": "The Influence of Literary Fashion on Amorous Behavior"). Der…
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