First full day, Montreal, Sept 3, 2025

 Sept 3, 2025

    We had a delicious breakfast, prepared by Ephraim in the beautiful dining room here. There were 3 Australians as well. Both Ephraim and Yves, the owners of the B and B, sat with us. Ephraim made a zucchini frittata.   

Breakfast at Gingerbread Manor B and B

Our bedroom at the B and B

   

    We walked to the nearest Metro and bought a day pass. We took the Metro downtown and walked to the Apple Store where Barbara had her screen protector replaced, which was a relief, as she had feared it was a cracked screen.

    Then - stop at a coffee shop.

    Next up- the Art Museum.

   We went to a wonderful, thought-provoking exhibit of the art dealer of the Parisian avant garde, Berthe Weill. We had never heard of her, but found how important she was to the careers of many artists, including Picasso, Modigliani, Braque, Chagall, and Rivera as well as many women artists we had never heard of. In fact, she arranged the only solo exhibit of Modigliani while he was alive.

    She inherited an antiques store from a relative and and first started by collecting and selling posters such as from Toulouse Lautrec  She arranged the first showing of Picasso's art in Paris when he was just 19. 

    What was impressive was her eye for new talent and trends. She was not just a keen businesswoman, but also befriended struggling artists, even when they did not make her money. In fact, her first show resulted in not one sale. But, she persevered. What was also impressive was the friendships she made with the artists.

    During WWII, she was persecuted for being a Jew as well as for showing what the Nazis considered degenerate art. She closed her gallery and was destitute. Artists such as Picasso and Dufy put on a benefit show and raised enough money for her to live comfortably until the end of her life.

    

Picasso's sketch of Berthe Weill 

     

A Marc Chagall

Picasso - done at age 19

by Emilie Charmy of Berthe Weill

Another early Picasso, done at age 19

We took the bus back to St. Denis, got coffee and went back to our B and B for a rest.

Then - to Le Fabrique, a French restaurant on St Denis and only a block away. It was a very special meal. The waiter brought us homemade pickles and bread to start. Mark - started with  tuna tataki appetizer made with peaches and spices, followed by roast pork with carrots, bok choy, sweet potato-peanut sauce etc etc. That was followed by a French toast with maple and carmel sauce. Barbara had vichysoisse followed by halibut in a yellow bean, artichoke hearts and caviar and spices.

At Le Fabrique