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…

couv-cover-france-amerique-magazine-janvier-january-2022

January 2022

French Culture Blooms in America

2022 will be the year of the great French “cultural offensive” in the United States! We sat down with Cultural Counselor Gaëtan Bruel to discuss Villa Albertine, the new artistic residence program launched in ten U.S. cities by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each season, 60 creators and thinkers will carry the “French message” across the Atlantic Ocean. Also in this issue, read about French intellectuals and their fight against reactionaries, and publisher Jacques Schiffrin, who fled France during World War II and helped launch Pantheon Books in New York City. Last but not least, French pastry wizard Dominique Ansel shares with us the recipe of his signature king cake!

Featured Articles

french-leaders-entrepreneur-america-etats-unis-tech-francais-yann-lecun

BUSINESS

FIVE FRENCH FIGURES

in American Tech

As the world’s biggest technology expo was hosted once again in Las Vegas earlier this month, we took a closer look at five French names who have changed – and continue to influence – American tech.

FASHION

ANNY BLATT

A Brand, a Destiny

French-American journalist Anne Sinclair
imposed her own personal style on television during the 1980s. Her recipe for success included uncompromising questions, a stare intense enough to defy powerful men, and mohair sweaters by Anny Blatt. Today, the longstanding brand is making a triumphant return thanks to two women: designer Anne Molineau and the label’s president Marion Carrette.

anny-blatt-pulls-sweaters-anne-sinclair
villa-albertine-residence-etats-unis-america-usa-gaetan-bruel

CULTURE

VILLA ALBERTINE

Reinventing French Soft Power

France has launched a new artistic residence concept in an effort to bolster cooperation with the United States in the arts and ideas sector. Villa Albertine is following in the footsteps of historic French residences abroad – in Rome, Madrid, and Kyoto – but hopes to also reconnect with the tradition of French cultural diplomacy and renew American perspectives.

ICONIC

VUARNET SUNGLASSES

Designed for high altitudes and the snow, these glasses are now worn in the city by fashionistas and celebrities from Alain Delon to Miles Davis and James Bond!

vuarnet-lunettes-soleil-sunglasses-glasses

Table of contents

FROM THE NEWSDESK

Sacré Bleu! The Politics of the French National Flag. By Anthony Bulger

COME ON OUT

French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick

EDITORIAL

The Statues of Jefferson. By Guy Sorman

INTERVIEW

Nicolas Truong: French Intellectuals Resisting Reactionaries. By Guy Sorman

THE OBSERVER

How a Pronoun Caused Pandemonium in France. By Anthony Bulger

DIPTYCH ICONS

La tour Eiffel/The Statue of Liberty. By Clément Thiery

BUSINESS

Five French Figures in American Tech. By Benoît Georges

FASHION

Anny Blatt: A Brand, a Destiny. By Guénola Pellen

CULTURE

Reinventing French Soft Power at Villa Albertine. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet

ALBERTINE DIARIES

New York by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh

BON APPÉTIT

Dominique Ansel: “A Good Pastry Chef Should Respect the Classics.” By Clément Thiery

Recipe: Dominique Ansel’s King Cake

A CANVAS, AN ARTIST

Francis Picabia, Painting of Madame X. By Tracy Kendrick

FRENCH AMERICA

Vermont. By Anthony Lacoudre

PORTFOLIO

Deborah Turbeville: The Other Side of Versailles. By Carla Peyrat

ICONIC

Vuarnet Sunglasses. By Guénola Pellen

LITERATURE

Jacques Schiffrin: A Publisher Between Two Worlds. By Sophie Joubert

BOOK REVIEW

Louis-Philippe Dalembert: Three Women Facing Fortress Europe. By Sophie Joubert

THE WORDSMITH

The Meaning of Sovereignty. By Dominique Mataillet

UNKNOWN FRANCE

Rochemenier: The Underground World of Anjou. By Gabriel Bertrand

© John Bartelstone