59 Rue Rivoli and the Art of the Artgasm

59 Rue Rivoli is Truly the Ultimate Contemporary Art Space in Paris

I had never heard the expression "artgasm" before today. Indeed, I thought I was the first one to come up with it. I only went to Google it because I wanted to be absolutely pleased with myself that I am so original and I am so smart. I wanted to start this post like this: "Today, I had an artgasm." So I thought I should look it up and behold, I am not the first person to think that art can bring on some very intense emotions. What a downer! But what an upper to have found such an amazing place of pleasure!

Well, so which art brought on my first artgasm? Well, it wasn't any one particular piece. It was really the full experience. We went to this gallery after work called 59 Rivoli. It is located at 59 Rue Rivoli in Paris in a building owned by the Mairie of Paris. 

And let me tell you, this is a cool gallery. This is one of the coolest places I have ever been to in Paris. I am not exaggerating. I LOVED this place. My whole reaction to the whole thing can only described as "gasmic." And I am not a girl who is big time gasmic-prone. But this was definitely gasmic. OO la la.

There was an exhibit going on downstairs at the street level but the real charm, the real art, the real gasms are to be had upstairs. There are, in all, 3 floors to this place and each on (including the ground floor) is magnifique!  And they welcome people. They are not snobs like the ones up at Galerie Castiglione and places like that.

Turns out that for about 150 euros per month, artists can basically rent a spot in this galerie where they can work alongside other artists. I love this idea and would have done it if I were a different type of a girl. I need the solitude of a hidden little place all of my own to do my painting, I think. I would not thrive at all in this very public place where everyone can come and look at what I am doing while I am doing it. I like to have my gasms in private :)

But other than that, I can't say enough about how this place turned me on. I mean, yea. Art is sexy.

………..so what did I wear today? Nothing overly exciting. I wore this bracelet I've had since a
I was a teenager. My father bought it for me in Italy of all places, on his first and only trip to that country many years ago and I kept it all these years.

I only remembered it because last night I met up with my Italian student (he's a young engineer who wants to improve his English, giggle, giggle)  who happens to have a keen interest in art. And so this morning I thought of Italy and I thought of this bracelet, so I wore it. Everything else that I wore was just basic and boring, including black corduroys (I wore these on Sunday too when I met with Alexandre for his first English lesson), grey Uggs (it is cold and rainy) and a navy sweater. Nothing too exciting in the sartorial department but hey? I am not a fashion blogger after all.

So yea. It's good. I feel good. I bought a couple of coffee table books today as well and my collection of those is growing by leaps and bounds. I love big coffee table books but I don't really have any space to add more so hopefully I am not going to be bringing home a lot more of these. And that's it in a nutshell. My beautiful day.

And you, darling? How was your day? I hope you found at least one little thing that you felt excited and happy about even if it was just that you are breathing.

Talk soon!