This is Beirut

'Despair': a Forgotten Rodin Sculpture on Piano Sells for One Million

This is Beirut, 10/06 12:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Rodin Sculpture Art Culture Despair France

The owners thought the sculpture perched for years on the corner of a piano was a Rodin copy, but after being declared as the real thing, the small marble figure has now sold for one million dollars at auction, organizers said Monday. Described as an "extremely rare" find by auction organizer Aymeric Rouillac, the figure was in fact an 1892 work, ...

'Maybe Happy Ending' Tops 2025 Tony Awards with Six Wins

This is Beirut, 09/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tony Awards NYC Cinema Awards Culture Art

Maybe Happy Ending, a South Korean musical adapted for Broadway about two robots who find connection, won big at Sunday’s Tony Awards, scooping up six prizes at the gala celebrating the best in American theater. Stars of the season Cole Escola and Nicole Scherzinger also won their first Tonys, on a night that celebrated Broadway’s revival ...

Eternal Jane B, Everlasting Birkin: The Story of an Icon at Auction

Marie-Christine Tayah, 08/06 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Jane Birkin Fashion Culture Art Hermès Birkin bag

Created in 1984 by Hermès specifically for Jane Birkin, the very first Birkin bag will go up for auction in Paris on July 10 at Sotheby’s. This one-of-a-kind piece, crafted from black leather and engraved with the initials J.B., includes original features like a fixed shoulder strap, closed metal rings and even a built-in nail file. Born from a ...

'Bouquet Final': Vanessa Paradis’ Enchanting Voice Returns with Tender Melancholy

Marie-Christine Tayah, 07/06 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Vanessa Paradis Lili-Rose Depp Music Culture Art France

Vanessa Paradis dropped Bouquet final this Friday, June 6 — a song co-written by Étienne Daho and featured on a new album rooted in a pop/soul universe, expected this fall. For this project, she collaborated with her two children from her relationship with Johnny Depp: Lily-Rose and Jack Depp. Bouquet final was composed by Jean-Louis Piérot ...

Ancient Oualata Battles Time, Sand, Rain and Exodus

This is Beirut, 06/06 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Desert Mauritania Manuscripts Culture Art Heritage

From his roof, Sidi Mohamed Lemine Sidiya scans the mediaeval town of Oualata, a treasure that is disappearing under the sands of the Mauritanian desert. "It's a magnificent, extraordinary town," said Sidiya, who is battling to preserve the place known as the "Shore of Eternity". Oualata is one of a UNESCO-listed quartet of ancient, fortified ...

Ghibli at 40: Beloved, Award-Winning, But Uncertain Future

This is Beirut, 06/06 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Ghibli Japan Animation Culture Art Drawing

Japan's Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month with two Oscars and legions of fans, young and old, won over by its complex plots and fantastical hand-drawn animation. But the future is uncertain, with the latest hit, The Boy and the Heron, likely — but not certainly — the final feature from celebrated co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, now 84. The studio ...

‘Un autre monde’: A New Exhibition by Artists of Beirut

This is Beirut, 05/06 14:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Beirut Art Exhibition Culture Artists

From June 19 to 29, 2025, Un autre monde will take over Arthaus Beirut in the heart of Gemmayzeh for the sixth curated edition by Artists of Beirut. Known for spotlighting women artists from Lebanon, the platform returns with a powerful new theme: rebirth through art. The exhibition brings together emerging and established talents to reflect on ...

Cannes Red Carpet Gets a Second Life in Marseille

This is Beirut, 05/06 10:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cannes Marseille Cinema Movie Culture Art

Walked on for fifteen days by the biggest stars in global cinema, the iconic red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival is now getting a second life in Marseille. Designers, theater troupes, and fashion collectives are repurposing the material into new creative works. “We sell it as a basic fine red carpet, not as the Cannes red carpet,” said ...

Charli XCX Shines at 'We Love Green', But Francophone Talents Steal the Show

This is Beirut, 04/06 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Festival France Music Culture Art Singer

While pop phenomenon Charli XCX headlines Paris’ We Love Green festival this weekend, a new generation of francophone artists is proving prolific, bold, and ready to shake things up — from Camille Yembe to Zamdane. The festival, held in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, boasts a major draw: British pop rebel Charli XCX. Known as the ...

Garcess Kanaan Reimagines Strindberg in a Raw Theatrical Outcry: 'The Father'

Marie-Christine Tayah, 03/06 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Theater Beirut Culture Art August Strindberg

Directed and adapted by Garcess Kanaan, The Father brings a contemporary lens to Strindberg’s intense drama. The play traces the emotional and mental unraveling of a father, caught in a home torn apart by mistrust and a battle over his daughter’s future. The cast includes Julien Chaaya, Joanna Toubia, Melissa Aziz, and Melissa Hjeij. The ...

Sting Brings 'The Last Ship' Musical to Paris in 2026

This is Beirut, 03/06 12:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sting Music Musical Culture Paris Art

British singer Sting, a rock icon and frontman of The Police, announced he will perform in Paris in February 2026 with his musical The Last Ship, as reported by Le Parisien on Monday. The show is set to run at La Seine Musicale, just outside the French capital, starting February 18. Originally released in 2013 as a concept album, The Last Ship ...

Taylor Swift Finally Reclaims Full Rights to Her Music

This is Beirut, 03/06 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Taylor Swift Music Culture Art

Pop sensation Taylor Swift, who was locked in a feud with record executives since 2019 over ownership of her music, has bought back the rights to her entire back catalog, she said Friday. "All of the music I've ever made ... now belongs ... to me," she wrote on her website, after years of disputes over her first six albums, a number of which she ...

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