and there is a place to not miss when you are there...
It's the new Railway station!!!
This building was inaugurated in 2009.
This modern design is from the spanish architect Santiago Calatrava Valls.
It's quite strange to find this kind of building in a small city...
It makes us think about Saarinen's design in NY Airport!
It could be built in the 50's, isn't it?
But it's not only a Railroad station...
There are shoppes....
and also an interesting exhibition!
GOLDEN SIXTIES!!!
There were some political facts...
for example when they built the wall in Berlin in 1961.
They also show how fashion changed in the 60's.
Do you remember TWIGGY?
Cannot talk about the 60's without the Beatles!!!
Most of the objects shown there belonged to personnal collections.
The early 60's were also the Golden Age of SAINT-TROPEZ in French Riviera.
I caught Sylvain looking at Brigitte Bardot's suspender...
Europe was late compared to the USA in the end of the 50's...
Due to WWII, 50's were quite dark in France, people were poor and the country had to be rebuilt.
So you can compared early french 60's to the mid US 50's.. this era is called "Yéyés"!!!
Most french artists translated US Rn'R tunes....
Johnny Hallyday was our french Elvis!
For the fist time in Europe, young people could have their own life without following their parents taste!
The most famous artists of this era were: Françoise Hardy, Sheila, les Chaussettes Noires, Jacques Dutronc, les Chats Sauvage, Claude François, France Gall...
They also invented the scoopitone... it was like a juke box but with short movies to promote a song... ancestor of video clip!
It was the beginning of transistors and the first radio for teenagers!
It's fun to see all these things in secure windows...
we own a lot of them or have seen them for a few cents in flea markets...!!!!
There were also many toys shown like BARBIE!
Some everyday design: kitchenware, lamps, vaccum cleaners, chairs...
cars, advertising....
No belgian exhibition without comics and TINTIN of course!
There was also ART of the 60's...
some originals from Roy Lichtenstein...
the sexy Senorita Rio from Mel Ramos...
Elvis...
and Marilyn by Andy Warhol!
I was wearing a blue wool suit from the 50's.
Since I changed original brown plain buttons for these baby blue vintage ones, I have loved it more and more! Small details can change an outfit completely!!!!
This vintage nylon blouse is one of the first I purchased...
Here is a detail of Sylvain's outfit... I call this sweater "the Guinea Pig's sweater"... because it is so soft, like a teddy bear... he bought it in VLV last April.
There was a large part of the exhibition which was dealing with Cinema and TV.
French or american...
There was also a famous film set rebuilt...
This corridor is from one of the most popular french movie of the 60's "La Grande Vadrouille" , a film with Louis De Funès taking place during the WWII.
60's was also the Space era!!!!
60's was probably the period where everything changed the faster...
The era when all what we love about the 40's-50's disapeared...
no more Hollywood glamour...
it was time for Beatnicks and Hippies!
Even if 60's is not our favorite era, it's an interesting period and this exhition is worth to be visited!!!
We also spent some time with John from FIFTIES 50's who are collecting Americana, mainly enamalled plaques. Please visit his blog for nice pictures and good tips!
Sorry for this long, long post... hope you like it!!!
We are now really close to Xmas so Sylvain and I want to wish you a HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE with your familly and friends... I hope Santa Claus will be generous and will bring to you all what you are dreaming for...
JOYEUX NOEL!!!!
What do you think about 60's era?
Did you know about our french Yéyés?
