Animals at the Grand Palais

I went to the Grand Palais in Paris this morning--the enormous building on the Champs-Élysées with space for at least three exhibitions at once.I did not see this exhibition, on the beauty of animals, but I did see Helmut Newton--a comprehensive show of over three decades worth of photographs (though actually not terribly large). I liked his portraits best. N.B. This blip is not a composite--it shows a corner of the building with an huge image displayed in front.

In the afternoon Marylee and I visited a stupendous exhibition at the Louvre, centered on Leonardo da Vinci's St. Anne with the Virgin and Child, which they own. Leonardo worked on it starting in 1500, until his death in 1519, leaving it partly unfinished. Displayed are dozens of works, including many preparatory drawings by Leonard0 himself and copies of different versions by others, to demonstrate how the work evolved. It is utterly fascinating.

Off to bed, after dinner out--a kind of farewell to Paris; we leave on Saturday for the south.