Back in 2020, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie of Manonboudior, and I’m so excited to announce that she will be featured in her first Parisian exhibition at the Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais in the heart of the Marais, just steps away from Isle de la Cite, Notre Dame and the Louvre.
How did you end up choosing Hotel Caron de Beaurmarchais as the location for your first Parisian exhibition?
Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais and Manonboudoir have a pretty long history of friendship. I was commissioned by the hotel to create a series of watercolors dedicated to Valentine’s Day back in 2019. It was very nice working on these pieces and the work was a success. Later that year I stayed in the hotel for my birthday, a memory I’ll forever cherish as a wonderful Parisian escape.
Throughout these years, I’ve been inspired by the exquisite interiors of the hotel, the story they were telling their visitors, the atmosphere of the 18th century with all its thoughtfully curated antiques, and I’ve been dreaming about an offline exhibition for quite some time, so my first choice fell on this special place, a perfect setting for Manonboudoir artworks.
What are you looking forward to the most about meeting fans of your work?
I’m just looking forward to meeting them in general. I’m very grateful to all my fans for their love and continuous support and feel so excited about the opportunity to personally thank them.
Your illustrations feature Marie Antoinette-Esque women and women in vintage Parisian settings… What drew you to Marie Antoinette and creating vintage illustrations in particular?
It was Stefan Zweig’s novel and Sofia Coppola’s movie about her. Also, my trips to Paris and Versailles in addition to learning French and studying French history at the university only raised my interest in the subject. And as a person who has a strong liking for all things old and with a history behind them, I think it might explain why all my illustrations are vintage-inspired.
When did you first fall in love with all things vintage?
I think it happened in high school when I was 15 or 16. I discovered the old Hollywood movies for the first time and just couldn’t take my eyes off these silver screen sirens lounging around in their elegant outfits, perfectly coiffured and with perfect makeup on. I fell instantly in love with vintage aesthetics, watching and re-watching the movies with Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, Vivien Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Elizabeth Taylor, and Hedy Lamarr. My love has only grown stronger ever since and expanded further to other decades of the 20th century.
What is your biggest source of inspiration for your artwork?
I find inspiration in life and the people around me. It’s in books, movies, art exhibitions, theatre performances, and even some little things I surround myself with. It’s in my community and my customers who support me and make me move forward and go a little beyond. It’s in constant rediscovering of my favorite artists which I have plenty of and find particular pleasure addressing to in my work from time to time.
“Nestled upon the Rue Vieille-du-Temple, the Hotel Caron De Beaumarchais offers a wistful escape from the bustle of the right bank. Delicately adorned with rose-bud wallpaper, ornate furnishings, gilded chairs, and cabinets, the hotel appears as an 18th-century boudoir, an environment for beauty, courtship, and pleasure. Julie recreates this idyllic vision through the excursions of Manon, a beautiful and effervescent lady who is accompanied by her cat Gigi (reminiscent of Collette’s novel.)” – Sophie Beth Allen Jones
September 7-14, 2022 | Hotel Caron de Beaumarchais | 12 Rue Vielle-du-Temple, 75004
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