La Maison Française, located at 16 Washington Mews (at University Place), will host a number of special events in November and December, including the opening of a new exhibition of drawings and prints by Henri Matisse on Nov. 2; a three-day conference on Jean Genet from Nov. 11-13; and a talk on Dec. 2 by Kenneth Silver, professor of modern art and curator of the Guggenheim exhibition, Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936.

La Maison Française Hosts Special Events in November and December

La Maison Française of New York University, located at 16 Washington Mews (at University Place), will host a number of special events in November and December, including a new exhibition of drawings and prints by Henri Matisse on Nov. 2; a three-day conference on Jean Genet from Nov. 11-13; and a talk on Dec. 2 by Kenneth Silver, professor of modern art and curator of the exhibition, Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936, currently on view at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  All events are free and open to the public, and take place at La Maison Française, unless otherwise noted.  For further information, call 212.998.8750 or visit www.nyu.edu/maisonfrancaise.

A schedule of events follows:

Tues., Nov. 2 through Tues., Dec. 21
Exhibition:  Henri Matisse: Writers on Paper. Selected Drawings and Prints from the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation. The first exhibition devoted to Matisse’s male portraiture. On view through Dec. 21. Hours: M-F, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please check the website for the days the gallery will be closed for university events.

Wed., Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Colloquium: “Murder We Wrote:” Reflections on the 1937 Assassination of Laetitia Toureaux in the Paris Metro. Gayle K. Brunelle (California State U., Fullerton) and Annette Finley-Croswhite (Old Dominion University) discuss their new book, Murder in the Métro: Laetitia Toureaux and the Cagoule in 1930s France (LSU Press, 2010).

Thurs., Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Dramatic Reading:  A Modern Aeneid: A Reading and Discussion of Olivier Kemeid’s The Aeneid. With Olivier Kemeid, playwright; Kay Maschullat, associate teacher, NYU Tisch; Catherine Coray, NYU Tisch; Joy Connolly, NYU (moderator). Canadian playwright Kemeid tells the tale of civil war, loss, and exile in the 21st century through the lens of Virgil’s epic poem. Note venue: Abu Dhabi Institute in New York, 19 Washington Square South.

Sun., Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Illustrated Lecture: Volker Schlöndorff, acclaimed German director (Academy Award-winning The Tin Drum, Death of a Salesman, The Handmaid’s Tale), speaks about his childhood in Germany, his education and early professional life in France, his love of cinema, and his career in Germany, France, and the U.S. Reservations required, 212.998.8750 or maison.francaise@nyu.edu. Tickets, $10 general admission or $5 w/ student i.d.

Mon., Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
Lecture:  Trio musical pour trios fantômes: Beckett, Sartre, Barthes. Francois Noudelmann, professor, Université de Paris VIII and Mainzer distinguished scholar in residence, NYU. In French.

Thurs., Nov. 11 thru Sat. Nov. 13
Conference: Jean Genet in the U.S.A., celebrating the centennial of Genet’s birth. Participants include Edmund White, André Gregory, Tom Bishop, Marianne du Pury, and Albert Dichy. In English and in French. For the full conference schedule, see the website www.nyu.edu/maisonfrancaise.

Wed., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Book Launch: Edward Berenson, director, Institute of French Studies, NYU, discusses his new book, Heroes of Empire: Manliness, Media, and Charisma in Europe’s Conquest of Africa (UC Press, 2010). Introduced by Alice L. Conklin (Ohio State).

Mon., Nov. 22, 7 p.m.
Literary Conversation: French Literature in the Making with Regis Jauffret, novelist and author of Univers, univers; Asiles de fous; Microfictions, in conversation with Olivier Barrot, journalist and host of Un livre un jour (France 3 TV); publisher of Senso.  In French.

Tues., Nov. 23, 8 p.m.
Performance: Parade Funebre d’après l’oeuvre  de Jean Genet, a performance of Genet text and characters created by a team from NYU in Paris. Directed by Cécile Cotté; music by Stéphane Scott; with NYU students. In French. Note venue: Wasserman Center, NYU, 133 East 13th Street, 2nd floor.

Wed., Dec. 1, 7 p.m.
Lecture: Mitterand, the End of the Cold War, and German Unificiation, a talk by Frédéric Bozo, historian, Université Paris 3 and Woodrow Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar, 2010-2011.

Thurs., Dec. 2, 7 p.m.
Talk:  Kenneth Silver, professor of modern art, NYU, discusses his recently opened exhibition, Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936, on view at the Guggenheim Museum through Jan. 9, 2011. Discussants include Molly Nolan (NYU), Ara H. Merjian (NYU) and Francine Goldenhar, director, Maison Française (moderator).

Tues., Dec. 7, 7 p.m.
Roundtable:  Droit de suite: Resale Royalties and the Visual Arts. Organized in partnership with Museum Projects Partnerships, this roundtable explores the benefits of Droit de Suite (right to follow), a royalty payable to an artist or his heir each time a work is re-sold during his lifetime and for a period of 70 years after his death. While Droit de Suite protocols have been adopted by all Western European countries, the policy exists in the U.S. only in California. Panelists include Theodore Feder, president, Artists Rights Society; Christiane Ramonbordes, executive director, ADAGP; Frank Stella, artist; and Martin Mullin, partner, Museum Projects Partnership (moderator).

Thurs., Dec. 9, 7 p.m.
Book launch: Rebecca Comay, professor of philosophy and comparative literature, University of Toronto, discusses her new book, Mourning Sickness: Hegel and the French Revolution (Stanford UP, 2010), with Daniel Heller-Roazen, professor of comparative literature (Princeton).

Mon., Dec. 13, 7 p.m.
Book launch: Robert Pagani, author and playwright, celebrates the publication in English of his first novel, The Princess, The King, and the Anarchist (Helen Marx Books, 2010). In conversation with Caroline Weber, author of Queen of Fashion: What Marie-Antoinette Wore to the French Revolution.

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