Volume 8
November 7, 2026
PARIS IS (ALWAYS) BURNING
“Well, you picked a really interesting time to move to Paris,” my friend Jimbo said yesterday.
Ain’t that the truth.
During the summer, we survived a string of scorching heat waves. And now we continue to watch as Paris, France, and much of Europe are scorched by those who seem determined to burn this whole part of the world to the ground.
“What does any of this have to do with torn posters?” you might ask.
My dear friend and colleague Michael put it into words in a way I hadn’t quite realized myself.
“You are living inside your art right now,” he said. “It just seems to be what your art is all about… finding something beautiful in the middle of all this horrid sh*t.”
He may be onto something. I don't know if that's entirely true, but it is DEFINITELY an INTERESTING time to live in Paris.
Speaking of interesting things happening in Paris, there are plenty of cool things to check out among all the boarded-up buildings.
One show that feels right up my artistic alley is at the Carnavalet Museum.
Fragments of Paris: Jacques Villeglé and Urban Art is a retrospective exploring the work of an artist whose practice draws inspiration from the torn posters and visual fragments of urban life.
Carnavalet Museum
As the museum describes it:
“His prolific body of work invites visitors to discover the history of the city through the torn posters and graphic signs he reconfigured into artworks while also allowing the public to explore his connections to the various forms of contemporary urban art.”
The exhibition is on view at the Carnavalet Museum through Valentine's Day 2027.
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Bourse de Commerce
Other shows worth checking out include Remember Me at the Bourse de Commerce, featuring an amazing, immersive Barbara Kruger installation, along with the largest photography exhibition I've ever seen: 450 Irving Penn photographs displayed salon-style.
Musée d'Orsay
I also can't wait to see American artist Jenny Holzer's major solo exhibition, J'AI VU ("I Saw"), at the Musée d'Orsay. The exhibition includes moving, scrolling LED text panels—including one titled "ÉCRIT"—threaded through four of the museum's main painting galleries. There are also 19 engraved works in variegated stone and marble (17 benches and two columns), placed in dialogue with the museum's permanent collection.
PDX Laundry Museum
sidenote: I've also been photographing the laundromats of Paris. A friend back in Portland is turning her laundry room into a laundry museum (yes… a museum. Not sure it'll ever actually be open to the public). In the meantime, here's one of my favorite shots I took for Colin.
I continue to add more artwork to my gallery, which you can view here.
God, I love Paris.
And I love all of you!
Merci,
Byron Beck
