The “Musée Histoire de Paris Carnavalet” is the starting point for visitors of Paris and social scientists to better understand the making of this metropolitan city throughout centuries. The only common factor over the years is the astonishing determination to reinvent the city every 100 years whilst the best features of the previous periods are preserved. It is the concern for the very long-term time horizon that makes the city quite unique. Even a social revolution (1789) unlike most other countries managed to preserve most buildings, churches and royal palaces. Restorations are undertaken with a careful approach to shield its architectural and social heritage. Even the radical transformation by Haussmann over almost 20 years until 1870 to build large corridors in the city is subject to revision in modern visions of the future of Paris. The app of the museum is very helpful to learn more details about each chosen object of the permanent exhibition. The social fabric of the city can be studied further through app’s feature when representatives of local social organizations speak about their personal piece within the huge collection on display. The larger the “fundus”, the more the rationale for selecting pieces becomes an issue. (Image: Musée Histoire de Paris Carnavalet inner court 2025). 
Photographe engagée
Marie-Laure de Decker is featured in the “Musée européenne de la photographie” (MEP) as a photographer committed to capture truth in situations of conflict. She started her career with documentary photos from the Vietnam war. Rather than searching for spectacular scenes, she succeeded in her attempt to capture the more emotional and, therefore, relatable moments for her various audiences. With a firm commitment to the human in her work, the photos by Marie-Laure de Decker reach a level of extraordinary sensitivity to what it means to stay human in violent situations and even military conflict. The portraits of politicians, workers, professions and famous actors applied the same approach. Rather than days or weeks Marie-Laure de Decker spent months or years in the regions of her documentary photo series ranging from Vietnam, South Africa throughout the apartheid regime, Pinochet years of dictatorship in Chile, the 2 parts of Yemen to a prolonged stay in Chad.
The exhibition in the MEP in Paris curated by Victoria Aresheva raises awareness to the additional fact that photo journalism became an affordable profession only after specialized agencies were created that granted authorship rights to photographers, which ensured later use of their work in edited volumes as well as working for several newspapers or magazines. (Image: Marie-Laure de Decker, self-portraits, MEP Paris exhibits 2025-8).
Emotional history
The making of emotional memories of a city is an art in itself. Many cities have professional photographers who accompany all major events in a city over years. Paris has had the chance that artist photographers and film makers have contributed greatly to the emotional history of the city. Agnès Varda was such a formidable person whose images and movies moved people and allowed to share emotions about the city’s busy and diverse neighborhoods. The « Musée Histoire de Paris Carnavalet » combines an autobiographic perspective with the emotional depiction of live in Paris from the 1950s onwards into the late 20th century. (Image: Agnès Varda, 1950 self-portrait, MEP Paris).
Femmes Photographers
Paris puts 2 women photographer into the spotlight. The MEP and the Musée historique de la Ville de Paris feature a gender perspective on photography. Both photographers have a common starting point in black and white photography. Each moved on to develop their art into an additional direction later during their career. Marie-Laure de Decker shifted from the early camera technology from black and white images to color photography in the later stages of her career. Agnès Varda moved from her initial b/w photographic work on to the production of videos for cinema, mainly focused on life in Paris from the early 1960s onwards. An evolution over the professional life becomes evident for both through these retrospectives of their respective work. Technologies evolved and became more accessible for artists’ creative expression. Both moved on to adopt new techniques and challenges. Great personal learning experiences and models for today’s challenges.
(Image Marie-Laure de Decker, L’image comme engagement 2025-8 MEP Paris).
Timeless Nature
The beauty of butterflies has fascinated thousands of generations. It is the boomers’ generation that has increased the risks that future generations will have difficulties to enjoy the simple beauty of nature in their gardens or parks. Preservation of biodiversity is a value that should be ranked much higher than previously. Monitoring of biodiversity needs a generation of people well aware what a rich ecosystem and biodiversity looks like and how to preserve or restore it. Much to do for teaching and learning professionals as well. Curriculum development for biodiversity and sustainability is in urgent need for updates. This has to include the socioeconomic dimension as well.
Gentileschi Selfie
Today the production of „selfies“ is all around us. Selfies are shot almost instantaneously and several times a day by use of modern smartphones. About 400 years ago the first woman to produce a selfie was Artemisia Gentileschi. As (one of) the first female painter in art history to have created a painted image of herself (which is transmitted today) Artemisia Gentileschi made history. Her unique biography, style and craftsmanship of the early 17th century in Italy made herself a renowned painter. Her choice to depict herself rather than somebody nobel or rich was quite unusual for the time. The audacious choice of herself as her „sujet“ became even her trademark. Later paintings by her with biblical topics were also subject to her reinterpretation based on herself as the female character in the narrative and image. In this respect her work appears so much ahead of her time that her impressive work speaks to all generations today. (Image: extract of Jael and Sisera by Artemisia Gentileschi 1620, Musée Jaquemart André“ in Paris 2025-8)
Gentileschi Iconologia
Ever since the publication of Cesare Ripa’s „Iconologia“ (1593) the codes of art had become subject of a coded production and interpretation of art. Attributes of power or wealth like palms, scepters or crowns, decorated with gold and diamonds spoke a language easily understood by onlookers irrespective of time periods. Orazio and his daughter Artemisia applied this Iconologia throughout their work. The apparently simple depiction of bad weather became a sign of trouble ahead in a person‘s life, office or reign. From the success of Caravaggio‘s paintings, the application of light and shadow became another stylistic feature of especially Artemisia‘s work. Whereas the application of these techniques is a sign of craftsmanship, the own contributions like a more emotional and emancipatory repertoire of Artemisia make her an artist of her own kind. (Image Artemisia Gentileschi, Madelaine pénitante 1625, Musée Jacquemart André“ in Paris 2025-8)
Women artists
The history of art has been dominated in public opinion for centuries by men. However, recently art historians have drawn our attention to the numerous works of women who took Centre stage with their art during the last 500 years. Flavia Frigeri (2019, 2024) begins her history of women artists with Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614) followed by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652). Both painters produced extraordinary paintings which brought their own touch to the paintings at a time when an independent expression through art was still largely reserved for men. The subjects of Gentileschi were greatly influenced by her experiences as a woman in a male dominated society in the 17th century in Europe. Her choice of subjects for her paintings added a female vision and depiction of biblical and historical narratives that were unique. The „Musée Jacquemart André“ in Paris featured a great retrospective of her art work in 2025. The catalog of the exhibition allows to enter into the art and wit of this early woman artist.
Zadkine Prax
Ossip Zadkine and Valentine Prax once had their atelier next door to each other at art school. This established a lasting link between the 2. Whereas Zadkine became best known for his sculptures, Prax became famous as a painter. It appears that influences from one to the other are present in the works and several sculptures or preparations for sculptures were collected by Prax and found their way into the permanent exhibition of the museum. Intertwined biographies of artists are an inspiring reminder that art is not created only within a single mind, but many references or inspirations come from joint conversations or just working next to each other for some time. The social part of creating art is visible in this exceptional exhibition. Valentine Prax is honored with a presence in the Zadkine museum as well.
Image: Valentine Prax 
Air pollution dementia
A comprehensive review and update of evidence that indicates a link between air pollution and dementia has been published in “The Lancet” open access on 2025-7-25. Besides a genetic predisposition the environmental impact of our worsening air quality caused by fine dust particles and PM 2,5 and nitrogen dioxide NO2 has been found in several studies. This updated meta study should be an additional warning to take efforts to clean up our air more seriously. The diesel engines amongst other sources of air pollution have contributed a great deal to this evolution. Inner city inhabitants are at greater risks to suffer the consequences as they are more exposed to these pollutants and for longer durations. Clean air is a matter of brain health in advanced age and biodiversity as well.
