March Love Letter

Lines of people massing outside the Grand Palais (grandpalais.fr) for its spectacular art exhibitions is a familiar sight—but at 2am? It seems the French can’t get enough of cultural all-nighters. Following the success of the annual Nuit Blanche in October, with installations and arty happenings all over the city, the Grand Palais last month set a precedent by opening the Picasso et les Maîtres exhibition round the clock for its final three days. The 18,000 tickets were snapped up almost immediately and ardent culture fans rubbed shoulders with clubbers who popped in after dancing at Régine’s or Black Calvados.

What’s up next at the Grand Palais aptly comes from the city that never sleeps: Andy Warhol portraits, with 250 of the icon-making images created at The Factory in the 1960s, and up to his death in 1987. Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Elvis, Mick Jagger, Brigitte Bardot, Yves Saint Laurent, Dennis Hopper, Bill Murray… and the Mona Lisa are among them, and, who knows, you might run into some of the still-living celebs staring at their silkscreen alter egos. Jagger was one of the stars spotted at the Picasso show, along with Woody Allen and Nicole Kidman. It starts on Mar. 18 and the galleries are open until 10pm, but you’ll have to wait until July to experience the all-night “nocturnes”—an amazing way to see the party people portrayed by the dude who said, “The whole world is my friend”.

Alison Culliford