paris hosts world’s largest agricultural fairlibération, le monde, décodex, france médias...

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFEmmanuelle Lachaussée

EDITORSBenoît Cormier,

MANAGING EDITOR, GRAPHIC DESIGNERKamilla Hassen

STAFF WRITERSNikos Biggs-Chiropolos,

Rebecca Saltzman, Lucy Hurlbut

NEWS FROM FRANCE IS AlSO AvAIlAblE ONlINE

franceintheus.orgFranceInTheUS@franceintheus

franceintheus

Vol. 17.04 - April 2017

Paris hosts world’s largest agricultural fair

A message fromAmbassador Gérard Araud2 Current Events

International Women’s Day CrossCheckfightsfakenews

3 Interview Frenchwomen’ssoccerteam

4 In Depth HowdoFrenchelectionswork?

6 Science & Technology ParisSalondel’Agriculture Newanti-pollutionstickers

7 Culture & Society Bazille exhibit at the National Gallery Albertine Prize & remembering WWI

8 Destination of the Month Nice

DearFriends,

Every year, Paris hoststheSalonde

l’Agricuture. FARMERS AND

PRODuCERS FROM FRANCE

AND AROuND THE WORlD

gather to share theirproducts,techniquesand

innovations .

©M

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The Francophonie Cultural Festival in Washington, D.C.,hasjustendedwiththeGrandeFêtedelaFran-cophonie at the Maison Française. The evening brought together people from all over the French-speaking world, from Europe to Africa to the Carib-bean,inawonderfulmixofcultures.

Ourcountrieshavemuchtolearnfromoneanother.Opennesstoculturalexchangeandnewideasisoneofthehallmarksofathriving,healthydemocracy,andan important tool for combatting prejudice, or even extremistideologies.

TheUnitedStatesisFrance’spartnerindirectcom-bat against the threats ofDaesh. FrenchMinister ofForeignAffairsJean-MarcAyraultvisitedWashington,D.C.,todiscussmovingforwardagainstterrorism.Heemphasized the impact our combined efforts havealreadymade,andpromotedpolitical inclusivityasawaytodefeatterrorism.EspeciallyinthewakeoftherecentattackinLondon,itismoreimportantthanevertoreaffirmoursolidarityinthestruggleforpeace.

Looking toward the future, both France and theUnitedStateshavebeensteppingupandpromoting

genderequality.ComingoffWomen’sHistoryMonthinMarch, theSheBelieveswomen’s soccer tournamentencouragedgirlsandwomen to follow theirdreams.IncelebratingFrance’swin,wealsocelebratetheac-complishmentsofwomenworldwideandsupportthewomencurrentlyworkingtowardabetterfuture.

Finally, thismonthwe recognize a very importantanniversary.OnApril6,1917,atPresidentWilson’surg-ingtomaketheworld“safefordemocracy,”theUnitedStatesformallydeclaredwaragainstGermanyanditsallies.Tocommemoratethe100thanniversaryofthisdate,wehaveorganizedaseriesofeventsthroughoutthe country.

WWI redefined the world order and strengthenedthe long-time French-American partnership that re-mainsasimportanttothisday.OnApril6,Frenchau-thorities and thePatrouille deFrance, France’s aero-baticjetteam,participatedinthecommemorationofthis anniversary in Kansas City, Missouri.

Throughouttheyear,wewillhostarangeof talks,exhibitions,concerts,andscreeningstotelltheimpor-tantstoriesoftheGreatWar,whosehorrors,andthevitalinternationalcooperationtocomeoutofit,shouldneverbeforgotten.

ON MARCH 8, THE EMbASSy HOSTED a French Series event in honor of International Women’sDay,withback-to-backpaneldiscussionsentitled“Womeninpolitics:wheredowecurrentlystand?”and“Howdowomenshapetheeconomy?”

The first panel questioned why fewer womenthanmenholdpoliticaloffices.Panelistsassertedthatrepresentationofwomeninpoliticsparallelsrepresentationinthegeneralworkforce.Datahasshown that seeing women in leadership posi-tions,regardlessofthefield,inspiresotherstorun

forpoliticaloffice.EvenHillaryClinton’sdefeat inthepresidentialelectionhassince inspiredmorewomenthanevertorunforoffice,ratherthandis-couragingthem,assomehadfeared.

The second panel discussed women’s role ineconomic growth. The conversation centered onthe positive economic impact of increasing thenumberofwomenintheworkforce,aswellastheimportanceofadoptingpoliciesthatallow,butalsoencourage,morewomentotakeonleadershiproles.

YlanQ.Mui,aneconomicjournalistwhomoder-atedthepanel,affirmedthat“thereareeconomicbenefitstohavingmorewomeninuppermanage-mentpositions.Notonly is itsomethingthatwillimpactprofitability,butitissomethingcustomerswill notice.” Furthermore, economists have esti-matedthattheGDPwouldincreaseby20percentifwomenwerepaidforworkforwhichtheyarenotcurrentlycompensated,suchaschildcare.

Both panels emphasized the importance ofwork-lifebalancepoliciessuchaspaidleaveandchildcareassistancetoachievegreaterrepresen-tation of women in both the public and privatesectors.Notonlyshould thesepoliciesexist,butexecutivesmustusethem,andthusdemonstrateafirm’scommitmenttopoliciesthatcanpositivelyimpactwomenatalllevelsintheworkforce.

French Series: International Women’s Day

France’s CrossCheck project combats fake news

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A TEAM OF French journalism stu-dentsandmediaoutletslaunchedCrossCheck In February 2017 to prevent fake news from influenc-ing the French presidential elec-tions.

Students from Sciences Poand the Centre de formation desjournalistes (Center for TrainingJournalists)willberesponsiblefordetailing and summarizing falseallegations,under thesupervisionofAgenceFrance-Presse(AFP).

All news published online willbe checked and verified for accu-racy,whetheritcomefromvideos,memes, photographs, comment

threads,ornewssites.TheprojectwasdevelopedinpartnershipwithGoogleNewsLabandFirst

DraftNews.ItwasintroducedattheNewsImpactSummitinParisonFebru-ary6.Sincethen,Facebook,alongwithsuchFrenchmediaoutletsasAFP,Libération, LeMonde,Décodex,FranceMédiasMonde,andNice-Matin,havejoinedtheproject.

GoogleexplainsthatCrossCheckpartnerswill“makeuseofthecollectivereporting in their ownarticles, televisionprograms, andsocialmedia con-tent.”Theongoingreportingwillkeepthepublicawareofthemisinformation

circulatingonlineandwhatsourcescanbetrusted.Inaddition,Googleencouragesthepublictosubmitquestionsandlinksto

disputedsitesforCrossChecktoverify.ApageonCrossCheck’swebsitewillbededicatedtorespondingtotheserequests.

WhiletheCrossCheckproject’sprimaryfocusistolimitfakenewsduringtheFrenchpresidentialelections,ithopestocontinuefact-checkingsourcesforfutureelectionsandmajorevents.

Top:JayNewton-Small,co-founderofMemory-Well,CindyDyer,VicePresidentofVitalVoicesGlobalPartnership,andEleanorClift,Washing-toncorrespondentfortheDailyBeast.bottom: SusanNess,seniorfellowatJohnsHopkinsUniversity’sSAISCenterforTrans-atlanticRelations,GwenYoung,directoroftheGlobalWomen’sLeadershipInitiativeandWomen in Public Service Project at the Wilson Center, Kate Bahn, economist at American Progress,andYlanMui,reporteratCNBC.

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The French national women’s soccer team wonfirstplaceintheSheBelievesCup,aninternationalinvitational friendly tournament hosted by theUnitedStateswomen’ssoccerteam.FromMarch1-7, four teams— the top-ranked United States,second-rankedGermany,third-rankedFrance,andfifth-rankedEngland—competed in thehighest-profilefriendlytournamentoftheyear.Theeventalsoshowcasedtherisingpopularityofsoccerinthe United States andwomen’s sports in all theparticipating countries.

TheFrenchteammadeittothefinalroundwithwinsagainstEnglandandtheUnitedStatesandadrawagainstGermany.Inthefinal,France’svicto-rywasconsideredasignificantupsetastheAmer-icanteam,whichhadwontheFIFAWorldCupin2015,iswidelyseenasthetopteamintheworld.

Before their third and final game against theUnitedStates,whichFranceultimatelywontosealitsvictory,wehadthechancetotalktotwooftheFrenchteam’splayers:WendieRenardandAman-dineHenry.

Wendie Renard was born in Martinique and now plays for Olympique lyon while representing the French national team.

What is the Shebelieves Cup?The SheBelieves Cup is a competition that began last year. It is a competition among the best teams intheworld.

How do you see the French team in relation to the u.S. team?Theyhavealotofassetsandthey’reverystrong.WesawtheirstrengthattheWorldCup.It’sclearthey deserve their ranking. They did somuch toearn it and our team knows that. On a physicallevel, they are impressive.

However,ourteamhasalsobeenworkinghardfor several years to improve and to make posi-tivechanges.Wearepreparedphysically,andareworkingonourtacticsandplayingstrategies.

Onaphysical levelandatechnical level,we’regetting there. Above all, we’re working on ourgame plan.We know that, in soccer, the tacticsare critical. But most importantly our team has a lotofspirit!

Do you think your team will reach the level of the American team?Definitely. There are examples to learn fromtheir team,butnotonly from them.TheGermanteamisalsoanexample,with itsvictoriesat the European level.

In the U.S., players professionalize very early.Weneedtobecomemoreandmoreprofessionalwhenitcomestodetails.Theirlevelofplayistheresultoffocusingonthedetails,startingataveryyoung age.

Amandine Henry, who hails from lille, signed a

contract in March 2016 with the Portland Thorns.

Are you excited to be playing here in the u.S. with the Portland Thorns?Yes. I have already had a little preview, becauseI came here in June 2017 to play with Portlandat the end of the championship,when our teamreachedtheplayoffs.

Iamhappytobeplayingacompleteseasonandtospendtimewithmyteammates.It’sverydiffer-enthereintermsofathleticlevel.It’sveryintensive.InFrance,achampionshipisplayedbyfourteamscompetingforthetitle,andonlythelastmatchesareveryintense.IntheU.S.,whetheritisthelastmatchorone in themiddleof theseason, everygame is tough.

Has the u.S. been welcoming to you?I haven’t yet taken the time to thinkabout it! I’meagertoplayafullseason.Atthispoint,mytimehereintheU.S.hasbeengoingverywell.Theclubwelcomedmenicelyandit’sbeenagreatexperi-ence.Wewillseehowthingscontinuefromhere!

What are your hopes for this tournament? Wealreadyhaveafullstadium,whichisgreat!Weknowthatplayingagainst theU.S. isnevereasy.Inmyopinion,they’rethebestteamintheworld.Playing against themallows us tomeasure our-selvesagainstthebest!

En chiffres...

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French Women’s Soccer Team

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The French team trains in Maryland be-fore the final SheBelieves cup match in Washington, D.C.

FrenchplayersWendieRenard andAmandineHenry

theaveragenumberofforeign investmentsperdayconfirmedinFrance in 2016 .

thenumberoftimezonesacrossFrance(includingover-seasterritories),themostofanycountryintheworld. thenumberofrestaurantsinPariswith

three Michelin stars.

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EvERy FIvE yEARS, the time comes for France to elect (or reelect) apresidentandmembersoftheNationalAssembly.

Inthelastpresidentialelectionin2012,FrançoisHollandefacedthen-incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round of voting. Hollandewaselectedwith51.6percentofthevotecomparedto48.4percentfor Sarkozy.Thisyear,thefirstroundofthepresidentialelectionswillbeheldApril23andthesecondroundonMay7willdecidetheninthpresidentoftheFifthRepublic.

Thelegislativeelectionstodeterminethe15thNationalAssemblyoftheFifthRepublicwillbeheldonJune11andJune18.Whilethepresidentialelectionwill attractmore international attention, the legislative electionsarejustasimportantindeterminingthefutureofFrance’sgovernment.

The election processFrenchelectionsareuniquefortheirtwo-roundsystem.Candidatescanonlywin in the first round if they receivemore than 50 percent of thevotes.Whilethisistheoreticallyfeasible,ithasneverhappened—CharlesdeGaullecameclosestwith44percentofthevotein1965.DuetoFrance’smulti-partysystem,majorcandidatesrarelyreceivemorethanonethirdofvotesinthefirstround,whichmeansFrenchvoterscasttheirvotes inthefirstroundexpectingtobebacktwoweekslaterforarun-offbetweenthetoptwofinishers.

FrenchelectionsarealwaysheldonSunday,thetraditionaldayoffinFrance.Votersmustcasttheirballotsinpersonandbringaproofofiden-tification,eitherintheformofavotingcardoraphotoIDinlargermunici-palities.Frenchcitizensresidingabroadmayvoteattheirlocalembassyor consulate.

The rules regarding the elections are quite stringent. All campaigns mustend48hoursbeforetheelection,whichnotablydiffersfromAmericanelections,whereralliesareoftenheldintheweehoursofthemorningon electionday.

Voting stationsopenat 8 a.m. andcloseat 6p.m., or 8p.m. inma-jorcities.Publicationofanyresults isstrictlyprohibiteduntil that time,meaningvotersfirstbegintoseeresultsafterall thepollshaveclosed.VotersinFrenchterritoriesintheAmericas,suchasMartinique,Guade-loupe,andFrenchGuyana,casttheirballotsonSaturday;otherwisetheywouldknowtheinitialresultsbeforepollsclosed.

Parliamentary electionsAfter the president is elected, French voterswill return to the polls onJune11and18forthetworoundsoflegislativeelectionsfortheNationalAssembly. Because this election occurs so soon after the presidentialelection,thesamepartytypicallywinsboththepresidencyandthemajor-ity in the National Assembly.

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Thepresident’sdeskin the Elysée palace, thehomeoftheFrenchpresidency

How do Frenchelections work?

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The role of the presidentWhileFrancehasbothapresidentandaprimeminister, it is thepresi-dentwhoholdsthemostpower,includingtheauthoritytonominatetheprimeminister.ThepresidentalsorepresentsFranceontheinternationalscene.Thus,astheinternationalsymbolofleadershipandtheonewhoisdirectlyvoted inby thepeople, thepresidentholdsthehighestofficein France.

Thepresidentalmostalwaysnominatesaprimeministerfromhisownparty.However,intheeventthatthemajoritypartyintheNationalAssem-blyisdifferentfromthepresident’sparty,itistypicallystrategicallyusefultonominateaprimeministerfromthemajorityparty.

Thesituationwherethepresidentandprimeministerarefromdifferentpartiesisknownascohabitation,andhasoccuredthreetimessincethecreation of the FifthRepublic in 1958. Although cohabitation is neces-sary,itcancreateconflictsduetothedifferingagendasoftheparties.

The presidential candidatesTobe listedontheballot,candidatesmustcollect500signaturesfromnationalor localelectedofficials fromat least30departmentsorover-seas territories,withnomore thanone tenthof thesesignatories fromthesamedepartment.

TheofficialsignaturecollectionperiodthisyearranfromFebruary25toMarch17andthefinallistofcandidateswaspublishedonMarch18,withtheorderdeterminedbydrawinglots.

Candidatesalso facestrictcapsoncampaigndonations. Individualsarerestrictedtodonationsunder$6,000andsuperPACsdonotexistinFrance. Campaignsmay not exceed $17million leading up to the firstvote,andthosewhoreachtherunoffmaynotexceed$22.5million,whileattackadsagainstopponentsareforbidden.AllTVappearancesarereg-ulatedandeachcandidateontheballotmustbeaffordedequalairtime.

While every election has implications for specific policies, perhapsmore internationalattention thanusual isbeing focusedon theFrenchelectionthisyear,asneitherJune’sBrexitvoteintheUnitedKingdomnorDonald Trump’s presidential win in the United States were anticipatedbyleadingpoliticalanalysts.France’snewpresidentwilllikelybeviewedaroundtheworldaseitheracontinuationofthischangingmomentumorasamoretraditionalchoice.

Thisyear’selectionhas11candidates,listedherealphabetically:

Nathalie Arthaud of Worker’s Struggle. Arthaud is 49yearsoldandhasledtheWorker’sStrugglepartysince2008.SheisanelectedtowncouncilmemberinVaulx-en-Velin,wheresheisresponsibleforyouthaffairs.

François Asselineau of the Popular Republican Union(UPR).Asselineau is59yearsoldandhas led theUPRsincefoundingitin2007.Hepreviouslyservedasamu-nicipalcouncillorforthe19tharrondissementofParis.

Jacques Cheminade ofSolidarityandProgress.Chemi-nade, who is 75 years old, also leads the LaRouchemovement inFrance,which isan internationalpoliticalorganizationledbyAmericanLyndonLaRouche.

Nicolas Dupont-AignanofDeboutdelaFrance(“StandupFrance”inEnglish).Dupont-Aignanis56yearsoldandhasbeenleaderofthepartysince2008HeisthemayorofYerresandamemberoftheNationalAssembly.

François FillonoftheRepublicans.Fillonis62yearsoldandwontheRepublicanprimaryinNovember.Heprevi-ouslyservedastheprimeministerofFrancefrom2007to 2012.

benoît Hamon oftheSocialistParty.Hamonis49yearsoldandhasservedingovernmentforseveralyears, in-cluding asminister of national education in 2014, andpreviouslyasJuniorMinisterfortheSocialEconomy.

Jean lassalle of “Resistons!” (“We resist” in English).Lassalle,whois61yearsold,isamemberoftheNation-al Assembly representing the Pyrénées-Atlantic Region. HefoundedtheResistons!movementin2016.

Marine le Pen oftheNationalFront.LePenis48yearsoldandhasservedas the leaderof theNationalFrontpartysince2011.SheisalsoamemberoftheEuropeanParliament.

Emmanuel Macron of “EnMarche!” (“Forward!” inEng-lish),anewpartyhefoundedin2016.Macronis39yearsoldandservedasMinisteroftheEconomy,Industry,andDigitalAffairsfrom2014until2016.

Jean-luc Mélenchon ofUnsubmissiveFrance, apartythathefoundedin2016.Mélenchonis65yearsoldandhasserved inseveralgovernmentrolessince1976.Hewasalsoacandidateinthe2012elections

Philippe Poutou oftheNewAnticapitalistParty.Poutouis50yearsold.TheNewAnticapitalistPartywasfound-ed in 2008.He is a trade unionist andworker in a carfactoryintheregionofAquitaine.

The presidential candidates

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THE CITy OF PARIS HAS PASSED a new lawrequiring registered drivers to display emissionstickersthatidentifythecar’spollutionlevelonascaleofonetofive.Thenewlaw, ineffectsinceMarch31,2017,isaresponsetotheelevatedpol-lution levels that shrouded the city in smog fordayslastDecember.

Theleastpollutingvehicleswillberequiredto

purchase a green or level one sticker, while themost polluting vehicles must purchase a dark-bluelevelfivesticker.Thesestickerswillmakeiteasierfordriversandauthoritiestoidentifywhichcars tokeepoff the roadswhenpollution levelsspike.

ThestickersaredistributedbytheCrit’Airanti-pollution agency and can be purchased on its

website for €4.18 each. Any driver registered inPariswithoutanemissionsstickerontheirvehiclewillbefinedbetween€68and€135.

Crit’Air’s website allows users to input infor-mation about their vehicle’s age, its emissions cleanliness, and its energy efficiency to deter-mine what level sticker to purchase. Electric or hydrogen-poweredvehiclesarethecleanestwithagreenor levelone rating,whereasdiesel vehi-clesarethedirtiestwithalevelfiverating.

Certain vehicles have already been bannedfromdrivinginthecitybetween8a.m.and8p.m.including:• Vehiclesmanufacturedin1996orearlier• Motorbikes&scootersfrombeforeJune2000• Trucksandbusesfrombefore2001• Allvehicleswithalevel5sticker

Berlin has been successfully enforcing emissions stickers inGermanysince2008.Andaccording to the Paris City Council, about 200European towns and cities have already initiatedsimilaranti-pollutionmeasures,includingLyonandGrenoble.

By2020,thepracticecouldspreadto22othertownsandcitiesinFrance,suchasBordeaux,LeHavre,andToulouse.

Paris issues requirement for anti-pollution stickersParisiantrafficcanbesevere,andcause high emmissions.

THE 54TH PARIS INTERNATIONAl AGRICulTuRE SHOW brought together breeders,localfarmers,researchinstitutes,governmentalagencies,agricul-turalbusinesses,and thegeneralpublicunder the theme“Farming:apas-sion,asetofambitions.”TheshowwasorganizedbytheMinistryofAgricul-ture,Agrifoods,andForestryandtheNationalCenterforAgriculturalShowsandTradeFairs.

This year’s show featured over 1,000 exhibitors from21 countries. Theexhibitorsweredividedintofoursectors:livestockandbreeding,cropsandplants, culinary products, and agricultural services and professions. Eachsectoroffereditsownworkshops,networkingevents,andlectures,aswellasotherspecializedexhibitions,includingadairyproductstastingbar.

Farmers,businesses,andyoungprofessionalscouldalsocompeteintheGeneralAgriculturalCompetition,whichhighlightedtheexcellenceofFrenchgeneticsresearch.TheGeneralAgriculturalCompetitionforAnimalswasoneoftheshow’sbiggestattractions,withparticipatingbreedersenteringabout2,600animalsfromsevendifferentspecies.Separatecompetitionswereheldforthebestwines,foodproducts,andrestaurants.

Toencouragethetransmissionandgrowthofagriculturalknowledge,spe-cialcompetitionsforyoungpeoplewereheldinthefieldsofanimal-judging,wine-making,agriculturaleducation,equestrianism,andfarming.Intotal,theParisInternationalAgriculturalShowgaveoutover5,000awards.

Withoverhalfitsterritorycomposedofagriculturalareas,andthelargestagriculturalsectorintheEuropeanUnion,Franceiscommittedtousingthenewideasintroducedattheshowtolooktothefutureoffarming.

Leading global agriculture event held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

Scenesfromthe2017Agriculturalfair

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Frédéric Bazille at the National Gallery of Art THE NATIONAl GAllERy OF ART in Washing-ton, D.C.,will hold the firstmajorAmerican exhi-bitiononFrench impressionistFrédéricBazille in almost 25 years.

The National Gallery is the exhibition’s last stop. The75works byBazille andhis contemporaries— including painters like Claude Monet and Au-gusteRenoir—havealreadybeenfeaturedatthe Musée Fabre in Montpellier and the Muséed’OrsayinParis.

WhiletheNationalGalleryfeaturesthelargestcollection of Bazille’s works outside France, hisrole in the impressionistmovement is toooftenignored. Bazille is little known to the public, butbelovedbycritics, according toKimberlyJones,curatorofNineteenth-CenturyFrenchPaintings.

Duringhisartisticcareer,whichwascutshortby his tragic death in the Franco-PrussianWar,Bazillebothcontributedtothebirthofimpression-ismandbecameacentralfigureinthemovement.

Bornin1841inMontpellier,BazillewasinspiredatanearlyagebytheworksofFrenchromanticartist Eugène Delacroix, notably “Woman of Al-giers”and“Daniel in theLions’Den.”Heenrolledat the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under thetutelageoftheSwissartistCharlesGleyre,study-ingmedicineatthesametimetoappeasehispar-ents. After failing hismedical examinations, hisparentslethimstudyartfull-time.

Bazille befriended many prominent French

artists, includingAugusteRenoir,ClaudeMonet,EdouardManet,CamillePissarro,PaulCézanne,andEdgarDégas.Backedbyhisfamily’swealth,Bazillewasamajorfinancialsupporterof theseartistsaswell,andoftenlentouthisstudio.

Bazille’sownworkexemplifiesoneofthema-jorchallengesofearlyimpressionism:combining

traditionalfigurepaintingwithanoutdoorsetting.In his most famous painting, “Family Reunion“(1867),Bazilledoesjustthat,depictinghisfamilyattheircountryestateinMéricwhileshowingoffhisexceptionaleyeforcolor.

ThisworkandotherswillbeondisplayattheNationalGalleryfromApril9toJuly9.

FrédéricBazille’s“FamilyReunion”

Leading global agriculture event held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles

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From an exhibition on propagan-daattheMuseumoftheCityofNewYork,toararecine-concertscreening ofWings, the French Embassy is remembering the United States entry into WorldWarIthroughaseriesofeventsin New York and continuingacross the country throughout 2017.

WithsupportfromtheFrenchMission du centennaire de laPremiere Guerre mondiale, incharge of the World War OneCentenary in France, and en-dorsed by the U.S. World WarI Centennial Commission, the nationwide commemoration

programrevolvesaroundtheyear1917,ayearthatsawthestartofanewworldwidegeopoliticalarrangementandanunprecedentedaestheticrevo-lution.

Albertine, the French book-shop within the Cultural Ser-vices of theFrenchEmbassyhas just launchedthefirstAl-bertinePrize,areader’schoiceaward for best French fictionin English translation.

Reflecting the rich diver-sityofmodernFrenchfiction,the ten nominated authorshailfromavarietyofFranco-phone nations.

Thetitlesrangefrom“Ladivine,”MarieNDiaye’spowerfulaccountoffourgenerationsofwomenhauntedbytheircountryoforigin,to“EveOutofHerRuins,”AnandaDevi’spoeticsnapshotoflifeontheincreasinglyviolentis-landofMauritius,to“Infidels,”AbdellahTaïa’staleofaMoroccanboy’spathto extremism.

AllofthebooksareavailableatAlbertineaswellasatselectlibrariesandbookshopsthroughouttheUS.VoteforthebooksyoulovebeforeApril30!Discover the tencontemporaryFrenchnovelsshortlisted for theprizeat:albertine.com/albertine-prize.

100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into WWI

Launch of the Albertine Prize: Vote Now!

NicePRESORTEDFIRST CLASS

MAILU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWashington, DCPermit NO. 4620

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NICE OR “NICE lA bEllE”asitisoftencalled,isthecapitaloftheAlpes-Mar-itimesdepartmentontheCôteD’AzurinFrance,alsoknownastheFrenchRiviera,theMediterraneancoastlineoftheSoutheastcornerofFrance.Clearblueskies,amildclimate,andabundantsunshinemakeitagreatdestination.

SitestoseeincludePlaceMasséna(thecity’shub),theMonasteryGardensofCimiez,HotelNegresco,andVieuxNice,aneighborhoodwithmanysmallres-taurantsandshopshiddenwithinitsnarrow,windingstreets.VisitorscanenjoyNiçoisdishessuchaspissaladière, salade niçoise, socca,andpan bagnat. Pizza andpastaarealsocommononthemenu,asNiceusedtobelongtoPiedmont-Sardinia,present-dayItaly,until1860whenitwasannexedtoFrance.

For a striking view of the sea, visitors can walk up La Colline du

Château,whereremnantsofthecity’sfortressstillexist.LaCollineoverlooksthePromenadedesAnglais,whichwasnamedaftertheEnglisharistocraticfamilieswhowalkedalongitslong,curvedpathduringtheirwintervisitsinthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.

Throughoutthe19thand20thcentury,manyfamouspeoplefoundinspi-rationhereincludingFrenchartistJeanCocteau,RussianplaywrightAntonChekhov, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and Queen Victoria ofEngland. French artistsMarcChagall,HenriMatisse, and others came topaint.

Today,thecityreceivesmorethanfourmillionvisitorseachyear,makingitthenumberonetouristdestinationinFranceafterParis.

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