Barbara Montefalcone
"I conceive of teaching as sharing. As an educator, I share my passion for and knowledge of the art I present to my visitors, and in return they share their impressions and reactions of these same objects. We both learn from this exchange. Knowledge is built through dialogue. One of the best dialogues I’ve had at the Louvre was with a three year old boy named Henry who asked why the angels and gods in a Veronese painting were ‘falling from the sky.’ I explained that they were not ‘falling’ but flying, as they had wings and were in a place called Paradise according to the painter. We ended up talking about the difference between the sky and the earth and, before leaving, he explained to me that instead of using their wings the figures could have used their capes. This was a very good observation, given the size and the style of their capes!"
My favorite place in Paris for admiring the view is Parc de Belleville.
Born in Italy as the daughter of two French teachers, Barbara was introduced to French culture at an early age. After a BA in foreign literatures and art in Italy she obtained an MA and PhD at the University of Lyon (France) where she wrote a thesis on American poetry and art. Today Barbara is interested in both art and literature and specializes in the connections between the two, through the tradition of artists’ books. When she is not working as a Paris Muse docent, Barbara teaches literature and art at Paris College of Art where she is also Head of the Liberal Studies Department. Additionally she works as an independent author for magazines and exhibition catalogues in both France and Italy and is the author of two books of short stories in Italian.
Take A Tour With Barbara Montefalcone
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