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…
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
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.
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!
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
