A Trip to Paris
IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE of 10964, Kathleen Sykes profiled my husband, Scott Kling, as he prepared for a Parisian adventure. Here’s a little follow up to complete the story. For those who may not recall, a Louvre curator spotted Scott’s sculptures at a gallery in Paris this past fall. A jury then chose two larger pieces from his collection in N.Y. – one bronze, the other stone – to be included in the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts 2013 at the Carrousel du Louvre in mid-December. He was part of the American delegation, which included ten artists. We learned once we were there just how big the show was – delegations from around the world, representing 500 artists!
The question of how to get the sculptures to the Louvre remained (worryingly) up in the air until the week before departure. He ultimately had both sculptures professionally boxed, each weighing over fifty lbs. Luckily, Scott's kindness and “nothing's impossible” attitude got him a bit of a red carpet treatment with Jet Airways. The bronze sculpture was checked at no extra charge and we carried on the other. Off we went through security, boxed stone sculpture in arms. We made it onboard the first leg to Brussels, excited and relieved, with the heavy stone sculpture safely in the overhead bin! After some more heavy lifting in Belgium, Scott found a wheelchair to roll the sculpture through to the next gate; oh the journey this sculpture took to get to the Louvre!
We arrived in Paris, where we stayed in a lovely flat two blocks from the Louvre. The next morning we were expected at the U.S. Embassy. Misjudging the distance and with not a cab in sight, we ended up having to run a mile (all dressed up) to make it on time, full sweat! As there is currently no American Ambassador to France, we met with the Cultural Attaché Philip Breeden.
That afternoon, Scott was to bring and set up his pieces for the show. His gallery in Paris hired a van, which turned out to be an old graffiti-covered jalopy. The driver apparently lives in it. We lugged the boxes down three flights of stairs and into the jalopy they went! It was a sight I’ll never forget – Scott leaped into the van full of laughter and joie de vivre… It was all somewhat surreal. From Scott – who has always dreamed of being a full-time artist were it not for life’s twists and turns – getting the call from the Louvre curator, to transporting his sculptures to the show in a dilapidated vehicle, it was some journey!
From Scott’s description, they drove deep down into the cavernous depths of the Louvre. The security guard stopped them, but after seeing the invitation from French President Francois Hollande, he promptly let them in. Scott said it reminded him of the scene in The Thomas Crown Affair when they drive a van with the Trojan Horse down into the basement of the Met! He was then greeted and directed to the American and Canadian Delegation area to set his sculptures.
The next day was December 12, the opening of the exhibition. We walked the rest of the show that afternoon before the official opening. With a lot of fine art in a vast array of styles (hundreds of paintings and about fifty sculptures), it was incredible and a bit overwhelming; I must admit I thought Scott’s masterful sculptures stood out in their beauty and spirit.
Walking to the opening of the show later that evening, we were relaxed and happy. The moon was rising over the courtyard holding the glass pyramid and the buildings were alight, as was Scott; it was magical. After the show we went out alone to a little bistro for a fabulous meal and celebratory glass of champagne. What a trip!