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Parisian Icons of Contemporary Architecture with Dr. Jennie Hirsh

Parisian Icons of Contemporary Architecture with Dr. Jennie Hirsh


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

This seminar on contemporary architecture will explore about a dozen contemporary sites in Paris, emphasizing some of the most innovative and visually striking buildings in the world today. Specifically, we will visit iconic museum and exhibition spaces, such as the Pyramid extension by I.M. Pei at the Louvre (1988), the Centre Georges Pompidou (1977) by Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers, the Fondation Louis Vuitton (2014) by Frank Gehry, and Musée du Quay Branly (2006) by Jean Nouvel. Likewise, we will visit the long-anticipated renovation of the city’s former stock exchange, or Bourse de Commerce (2021) by Tadao Ando as well as Gae Aulenti’s amazing transformation of the former Gare d’Orsay train station complex into the Musée d’Orsay, home to one of the best collections of French Impressionism in the world. 

We will also visit the Parc de la Villette, considering Bernard Tschumi’s playful series of red enameled steel structures connected to various cultural and leisure-time activities as well as the nearby Philharmonie by Jean Nouvel (2015) and the Seine Musicale (2017) by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines. Other sites on inquiry include Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe (1987) and the nearby by Mobile Art Chanel Contemporary Art Container by Zaha Hadid as well as Dominique Perrault’s Bibliothèque Nationale (1995). Finally, we will consider three earlier residential buildings, such as Les Chous de Créteil (1974) by Gérard Grandval, Marvin van Trek’s Les Orgues de Flandre (1980), and OMA’s Villa dall’Ava private home (1991).

Led by an expert on modern and contemporary art, architecture, and design, Dr. Jennie Hirsh, this interactive seminar will travel to museums, libraries, and other cultural centers located throughout Parisian neighborhoods. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with increased knowledge about and enthusiasm for visiting these wonderful buildings and spaces on their next visit to Paris. 

Jennie Hirsh (Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College) is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton and Columbia Universities, as well as pre-doctoral fellowships from the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation, the U.S. Fulbright Commission, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Wolfsonian FIU. Hirsh has authored essays on artists including Giorgio de Chirico, Giorgio Morandi, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Yinka Shonibare, and Regina Silveira, and is co-editor, with Isabelle Wallace, of Contemporary Art and Classical Myth (Ashgate 2011).

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
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N
N. (Victoria, CA)

Guest did not leave comment

J
Joy Hartnett (Inglewood, US)
Parisian Icons of Contemporary Architecture

I so enjoyed seeing these wonderful examples of contemporary architecture that went beyond the usual list of Parisian monuments. Jennie Hirsh always makes interesting connections to other material to give a context to each piece in her presentations. Many more destinations now on my travel list!

S
Susan G (Wilmette, US)
Outstanding!

I have been to Paris several times but I was unfamiliar with many of the Contemporary Architecture Icons that Jennie featured in her seminar. A reason to return to Paris! Thank you, Jennie, for another action-packed presentation.

K
Kathy K (Clinton, US)
Unnoticed Parisian Architecture

Dr. Jennie Hirsh has once again introduced me to beauty and marvels that I had not noticed previously. My future trip to Paris will have a very different itinerary. I can’t wait to explore these architectural gems in person. Thank you Jennie for another enjoyable and eye opening conversation.

A
Anonymous (Porto Alegre, BR)

Guest did not leave comment

Customer Reviews

Based on 5 reviews
100%
(5)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
N
N. (Victoria, CA)

Guest did not leave comment

J
Joy Hartnett (Inglewood, US)
Parisian Icons of Contemporary Architecture

I so enjoyed seeing these wonderful examples of contemporary architecture that went beyond the usual list of Parisian monuments. Jennie Hirsh always makes interesting connections to other material to give a context to each piece in her presentations. Many more destinations now on my travel list!

S
Susan G (Wilmette, US)
Outstanding!

I have been to Paris several times but I was unfamiliar with many of the Contemporary Architecture Icons that Jennie featured in her seminar. A reason to return to Paris! Thank you, Jennie, for another action-packed presentation.

K
Kathy K (Clinton, US)
Unnoticed Parisian Architecture

Dr. Jennie Hirsh has once again introduced me to beauty and marvels that I had not noticed previously. My future trip to Paris will have a very different itinerary. I can’t wait to explore these architectural gems in person. Thank you Jennie for another enjoyable and eye opening conversation.

A
Anonymous (Porto Alegre, BR)

Guest did not leave comment