Every month in France-Amérique, discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.

Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…

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February 2021

This month, travel with us to Michel Foucault’s California in a psychedelic road trip to the heart of Death Valley! Read next a profile of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the first pro-American French president of the Fifth Republic, who passed away last December. And in time for la Chandeleur on February 2, we tell you everything about America’s fascination for “French pancakes” – les crêpes! Last but not least, discover the latest, most up-to-date edition of our French Education Guide, the comprehensive state-by-state listing of all French dual-language schools and programs in the United States.

Featured Articles

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IDEAS

GISCARD L'AMÉRICAIN

The Passing of a Pro-American President

A pro-American French president was once as uncommon as a jovial Parisian parking enforcement officer. Though Nicolas Sarkozy is often thought
to be the first such rara avis, he was preceded by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who died last December at the age of 94.

ECONOMY

MUSEUMS

in the Market for a Miracle Cure

Caught between the French model’s publicly-funded resilience and the American model’s reliance on private donors, museums on both sides of the Atlantic are carefully considering their future in light of the crisis.

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CULTURE

FERNAND LÉGER

This month marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of the large-hearted and resolutely forward-thinking artist Fernand Léger, best known for his distinctive Cubist paintings. Paintings in this style and others he practiced during the course of his career hang in museums throughout the United States, a country to which he had many ties. In addition to living and teaching here during World War II, he executed such high-profile commissions as murals for the Fifth Avenue residence of business tycoon (and later politician) Nelson Rockefeller and the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters.

CULTURE

MICHEL FOUCAULT IN AMERICA

Psychedelic Wanderings Through Death Valley

From 1970 until his death in 1984, the author of Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality maintained close professional and personal ties with the United States. This is what readers will discover in Foucault in California, a memoir by Simeon Wade published in the United States in 2019 and recently translated into French.

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Table of contents

NEWS

Je ne vous oublierai jamais: A Much-Loved Newscaster Bows Out. By Anthony Bulger

STAY IN

French-Accented Resources for Fans of Opera, Classical Music, and Dance. By Tracy Kendrick

IDEAS

Editorial: Who Are We? By Guy Sorman

Pierre Bayard: “How to Talk About Things That Never Happened.” By Guy Sorman

Giscard: The Passing of a Pro-American President. By Anthony Bulger

ECONOMY

Museums in the Market for a Miracle Cure. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet

FASHION

The Gentleman’s Style: Fabulous Winter Fibers. By Julien Scavini

BON APPETIT

CULTURE

David Lebovitz, an American Chef in Paris. By Gabriel Bertrand

A Canvas, an Artist: Fernand Léger, The Aviator. By Tracy Kendrick

Jean Patou and America, a Mutual Fascination. By Emmanuelle Polle

Michel Foucault in Ameria: Psychedelic Wanderings Through Death Valley. By Sophie Joubert

Cécile Coulon: Death in Paradise. By Sophie Joubert

Madeleine de Sinéty: Marvelous Brittany. By Jonas Cuénin

LANGUAGE

The Wordsmith: Grivoiseries et les mots de la chose. By Dominique Mataillet

HISTORY

UNKNOWN FRANCE

In the Hell of Verdun. By Gabriel Bertrand

© Courtesy of Jean de Moüy

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