JEAN PHILIP DE TENDER

I love keeping lists. In the beginning, in a little booklet, now digitally. And I’m also fond of list facilitators such as Goodreads.

Looking back at 2024, this is what I loved in the arts:

BOOKS

I had never read any Salman Rushdie, but I was flabbergasted by “Knife,” in which he describes the attack on his life by someone stabbing him on stage during a lecture. You can almost feel the pain he must have felt during those few ‘seconds’ and the long, enduring recovery that followed for ‘months’.

In “The Familia Grande”, Camille Kouchner describes the sexual abuse of her brother by their father-in-law and the climate leading up to it. It made me think that the sexually liberated generation of 68 may have had too open a vision on raising kids. This book led me to “Le Consentement” by Vanessa Springora, who had ‘an affair’ with Gabriel Matzneff when she was 14. Again, with the consent of her mother. But Springora was not the only teenager that Matzneff loved. He had many, and the Parisian literary elite seemed to approve of them. 

Writing this now, I notice I picked three memoirs as my top 3.

In non-fiction, I enjoyed “Impossible City. Paris in the Twenty-first Century” by the Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper.

FILM

Although at the time it was a good film, reading about the film made me understand that “May December” by Tod Haynes is rather an excellent film. Love between a more mature woman and a younger man can be pure and simple.

“Ce Ancora Domani” by writer, director and actress Paola Cortelessi was a revelation. Women’s rights can be told in so many ways, but here the message came across.

One of my mantras in life is not to judge too fast. You need to listen to all angles of a story.  I saw “Anatomy of a Fall” by Justine Tries only this year, but it proves precisely that. I loved the acting of Sandra Hüller who also did an excellent job in “The Zone of Interest”.

In series I loved Alfonso Cuaron’s psychological drama “Disclaimer” starring Cate Blanchett and I discovered the world of “The League of Legends” through the animation series “Arcane”.

EXHIBITIONS

I have been a long-time fan of the Spiders of Louise Bourgeois and have seen her sculptures at different open-air locations. The Mori Arts Museum in Tokyo had a fantastic overview of her entire work, “I Have Been to hell and Back”, which made me discover many aspects of her work which were unfamiliar to me, especially the relationship with her mother (missing her after her early death) and her father (troubled). What a lady!

I was also impressed by “Fragile Beauty”, photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection, shown at the London Victoria & Albert Museum. Their collection spans over a long period and many genres. It is probably the most prominent private collection of pictures.

“Brancusi” at the Centre Pompidou in Paris was one of the best curated and designed exhibitions in a very long time. I appreciated the deep dive the curators offered.

For photography fans, it is also worth mentioning “As We Rise: photography from the Black Atlantic” (the Wedge Collection) at Saatchi Gallery till 20 January 2025.

I should have mentioned Chiharu Shiato’s “To Eye” (Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka)  in my top 3 list, but I won’t. She now has an exhibition, “The Soul Trembles”, in Le Grand Palais in Paris and you should all go there. It will land in our 2025 Top 3 lists. For sure!

PERFORMING ARTS

I must step up here and see more of the performing arts in 2025. As I’m often on the move, it’s sometimes hard to plan. So unfortunately only a top 2 here.

On New Year’s Day, I saw “ABBA Voyage” in London. I never thought I would see ABBA ‘live’ on stage, but I did. And the thousands of people in the room, they all enjoyed it.

The Théatre de Genève showed a fantastic double-bill ballet, “Forces” and “Busk & Strong” by Barton & Eyal. The music and the movements still resonate with me. 

RESTAURANTS

I love good food and prefer simple things which stay true to the ingredients.  You can find such restaurants and chefs everywhere with minimal effort. It can be vegetarian, brasserie-style, mediterranean, … you pick. I have a long list of restaurants on Google and Apple Maps. Always happy to trade lists by the way.

“Del Cambio” in Turin was a true discovery—stunning decor and exquisite (but simple) Italian cuisine.

I hadn’t been to the “Comme Chez Soi”, Brussels since Marc Didden invited me there with some prize money he had won. I’m unsure what happened with Michelin’s assessment, but they are wrong. This is an excellent restaurant in authentic traditions, and both the food and service are outstanding.

Finally, on the brink of the New Year, we had lunch in “Bibendum, by Carlo Bosi” in London. The former Michelin London headquarters and tyre stock are a great location.

Someone recently commented on Facebook, “oh you must have picked up an expensive bill …”. Well, Joop, good food, in whatever restaurant with fresh ingredients comes at a price, but many Michelin star restaurants offer lunches or market menus at a very decent price. Let that be my tip for you for 2025. Enjoy!