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314 La Cigale el hi Foiirmi, have inspired M. Carles in his attempt to realise in marble the metamorphosis of the graceful, ever-chirping cigale of sunny Provence into a fair, lithesome female form divine. This pretty specimen of human entomology will be sent to the Palais des Arts, where it will figure beside other works of M. Cai-les, such as the beautiful marble ' La Jeunesse,' which carried off the First Medal at the Salon of 1885, and is at present in the Luxemburg Gallery. M. Carles exhibited at the London Royal Academy Ex- hibition of 1887 two marble busts, one of Lady Grev, the other Mrs White, which both attracted considerable attention, and commanded the admiration of all connoisseurs in sculpture.

The private exhi- bition which takes place every year at the Ccrcle Artistiqiw has attracted crowds of visitors. This exhibition is a sort of general art re- hearsal before the Salon, and is parti- cularly interesting, not only because the works exposed are all intended for the great Art Fair held at the Palais d'lndustrie, but also on account of the number of portraits which figure on the catalogue. The principal attraction this year is a ))or- trait of M. Bougue- reau by himself, and, strange to say, the portrait is not only' a very good one, but it possesses a boldness of style we are not accustomed to expect from the painter of the ' Triomphe de Venus.' Carolus-Duran, Delaunay, Henner, Levy, and other ftishionable portraitists, come out in their best colours. Among the genre pictures there is a charming iJtude by that brilliant colourist, M. Courtois ; and among the sculpture exhibits I noted two clever and amusing exhibits of M. S. Lami.

The very select and aristocratic Societe des Aqiiiirel- lisies Frangais has inaugurated its eleventh annual exhibition at Petit's Gallery, which, with its elegant upholstery and art decoration, has more the appear- ance of a drawing-room than a picture gallery. It is here that fashionable Parisieiinexlove to meet on Friday afternoons (admission five francs) to gossip, criticise art and bonnets, chaperoned by equally fashionable young artists. The water-colour exhibits — to many the least interesting part of the exhibition — are this year, as usual, monotonously pretty, elegant, and, from a purely artistic point of view, particularly uninteresting. An exception must however be made in favour of three striking exhibits of M. Besnard, an impressionist of real talent, whose ' Femme aux roses ' alone is worth a visit to Paris to see. By far the most interesting of these art collections is the exhibition of the Peiiilres-Grineun. Engraving and etch- ing have hitherto met with little en- couragement in France. The best work done by Pa- risian artists goes to England and America, and is sel- dom submitted to the judgment of Parisian amateurs. It has occurred to such men as Des- boutins. Degas, Fan tin - Latour, Bracquemond, and others, that it would perhaps not be amiss to open an annual exhibition of their and their fel- low-artists' works, and thus the exhibition of Painter-Engravers has come to light. The result is most interesting, and it is to be hoped that the public will encourage this truly artistic venture. Among the contributors, M. J. Lewis Brown has sent, beside etchings, a few clever water-colour pictures of horses and riders ; M. Pissano some very curious specimens of the latest form of impressionist painting, to which are to be preferred his really clever etchings. MM. Guerard, Jeanniot, James Tissot, Somm, and Miss Mary Cassat, are among the best contributors. Mr. F. S. Haden is the only English exhibitor, but America is represented by Messrs. Bascher, Cleveland,