Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Asterix, Cartoon character, now almost 50 years old
This little Gaul set in the time of the Romans, created by
Albert Uderzo and Rene Goscinny, mocks and celebrates
many characteristics of the French. Cartoons (
bande-dessinée)
are enjoyed in France and celebrated each year at a festival
in Angouleme.
Edith Piaf and the other French jazz singers
of the mid-20th
century, including Geroges Brassens, Jacques Brel and Yves
Montand. Their voices are still heard everywhere in France
and throughout the world.
Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel
Fathers of modern music in the classical tradition. Both lived
into the i rst decades of the 20th century.
Brothers Louis and Auguste Lumiere
They invented cinema in 1895. The Cannes Film Festival
that was started in 1946 awards the highest honours in
international i lm today. Though the French i lm industry is
subsidised by the state, the productions are brilliant.
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
Was perhaps France's most famous sculptor. His museum is
next to the Invalides in Paris, where famous works such as
'The Thinker' and 'The Kiss' are found.
Artists of Impressionism
Impressionism was born in France, inspiring artists such
as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Dégas, Paul
Cézanne, Henri Rousseau, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso.
Many of these expanded beyond this movement to others in
the early 20th century.
Gustave Eiffel
The French engineer who designed the tower bearing his
name. Built in 1889 and bitterly contested at that time, it
is perhaps the most enduring symbol of all things French.
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