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reviewed by the Xpat journal, summer 2003
This is an absolutely wonderful book, even if you - like some of us - are neither much of a Paris fan, nor Van Gogh fan.
The purpose of the book is to offer you a travel guide through Paris, using as your guideline Van Gogh's various stays there. It leads you along his favorite haunts, the addresses he lived at and the adresses of the artists he knew and/or admired there.
The book starts with a short history of Van Gogh's time in the city: "short" meaning, in this case, juicy and succint. Then, you come to the various itineraries, whereby, at each location, you are feasted with another brief introduction or anecdote on what Van Gogh did, thought or concluded there. Even if you never go to Paris, or gleefully skipped (through) all the Van Gogh-exhibitions, you cannot keep from reading the next page to see what this spot is all about and what it meant to the artist.
The book is perfect, also, for a little eye-entertainment, while waiting for a phone call, for your computer to download e-mail, for your children to fall asleep or for your sister to pick you up, as each item requires but a few minuts of reading. Minutes which are delightful, as the author's style is light, entertaining and packed with information.
Once you have read this book, Paris sounds a lot more attractive (if you didn't love it already, in which case you can hardly wait to go back, with this book in hand) and you know more about Van Gogh than your average art connoisseur, allowing you to startle and delight many a dinner partner with your stories about his life.
(reviewed by the )
reviewed by Harriet Welty Rochefort in 2003
"If you're looking for a trip on a theme, why not try some Van Gogh Walks
next time you visit Paris? Art historian, artist and freelance
photographer Priscilla Bain-Smith's book, "Van Gogh Walks...Paris" is the
first in a collection of guidebooks following famous artists around the
cities they loved.
Bain-Smith successfully celebrates the Dutch artist's
peregrinations in Paris from 1886 to 1888 with a series of three very modern
day walking tours through the City of Light. Whether taking us to Notre Dame
Cathedral which Vincent relished visiting as a young man exploring Paris in
1875 or to the village of Auvers-sur-Oise where he died at the Auberge
Ravoux, Bain-Smith's informative text and alluring photos allow us to
superimpose the 19th century Paris of Van Gogh on to today¹s French capital.
Once you've traveled the city with these Van Gogh Paris Walks, it will never
look the same to you again.
(reviewed by Harriet Welty Rochefort, author of
French Toast and French Fried, on her )
reviewed by David Brooks in 2003
Vincent Van Gogh's two years in Paris, from early 1886 to 1888 are arguably the most pivotal in terms of his development as an artist. The Paris of the mid to late-nineteenth century was a Mecca for artists who went there to hone their craft and learn from each other's ongoing creative struggles. In Paris Van Gogh's palette came to life. In this book, author Priscilla Bain-Smith takes the reader to Vincent's Paris. She explores the streets of Paris and discovers many of the places that played an important role in Van Gogh's life. From the shop of Père Tanguy who displayed Vincent's paintings to Theo's apartment (or rather, the five apartments Theo rented in Paris), this book is a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of twenty-first century Paris--while keeping a firm foothold in the 1880s. Van Gogh Walks . . . Paris includes maps, hotel recommendations.
(reviewed by David Brooks from the Van Gogh reference site ).
Sally and Andrew Young, Los Angeles USA, 2002
It was a pleasure walking trough Paris guided by the book.
It really gives you an idea how Vincent lived and worked in Paris.
George and Joan Bukowitz, USA, 2002
I didn't know that Vincent Van Gogh stayed in Paris. Therefore the book was een eye-opener, as I finally have visited all the places where Vincent stayed (Netherlands, Belgium and France).
The restaurants mentioned in the book are worth a visit too.
Watanabe, Osaka Japan, 2002
Great book when not speaking english.
made nice pictures.
Reader review by Tula Lewnes, 2001.
This unique travel guide is a prodigious oeuvre,
meticulously researched and deftly crafted by
the didactic artist photo-journalist, Priscilla
Bain-Smith, who offers the reader an enjoyable
tripartite treat through Montmartre, the boulevards
below, and Nouvelle-Athènes, while the
peripatetic tourist embarks upon a sentimental
journey to historic areas and haunts frequented
by one of France's most iconic Post-Impressionists.
Embellished with colorful, razor-sharp illustrations,
vignettes and detailed maps, the armchair traveler
meanders through a web of alleys that lead-by
gloriously digressive routes-to imposing townhouses
with interesting facades and magnificent interiors,
hotels, cafés, cabarets, brasseries, parks
and monuments where this beloved artist's memory
is reverently preserved.
For the casual, footloose tourist and the armchair
Van Gogh aficionado, this is, indeed, a transporting
guide-animated by the author's high quality photographs
which morph into amazing "tableaux-vivants"
and become permanently etched in one's memory.
It is an exquisite guide that stands out in its
crowded field and should earn a place on the bedside
table of anyone dreaming of visiting la belle
France. For the non-traveler it makes for a great
armchair excursion and is also a stunning tribute
to a prolific artist who struggled so valiantly
to win recognition for his visionary art from
an indifferent world.
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