#LE VERNISSAGE FRENCH TO ENGLISH MOVIE#
#LE VERNISSAGE FRENCH TO ENGLISH SERIES#

Le Rêve sold for an unexpectedly high $48.4 million, at the time the fourth most expensive painting sold (tenth when taking inflation into account). After the Ganzes died (Victor in 1987 and Sally in 1997), their collection, including Le Rêve, was sold at Christie's auction house on November 11, 1997, as a means of settling their inheritance tax bill. This purchase began their 50-year collection of works by just five artists: Picasso, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Eva Hesse.

This historical meaning is no longer in use, but it made perfect sense.Le Rêve was purchased for $7,000 in 1941 by Victor and Sally Ganz of New York City. * I was excited to learn that, originally, gratin was the word for the browned scraps of food that stick to the bottom and sides of the baking dish, which you have to scrape off, or gratter in French. I’ll note that two other French expressions use the same concept: la crème (the cream, which we all know rises to the top) and le dessus du panier (the top of the basket), both of which are equivalent to the English idiom “the cream of the crop.” It plays on the idea that the browned top of the gratin is the most flavorful (thanks to the Maillard reaction), likening the social elite to this coveted part of the dish, while the rest of the society lies underneath. This expression appeared in the late nineteenth century. (If no player appears, here’s a link to the audio file.)Īudio note: I was told I speak a little fast for some of you, so I’ve recorded the example sentence using my normal(ish) speed of voice, then more slowly to clarify the pronunciation.

Listen to the idiom and example read aloud: It is frequently used with tout ( tout le gratin = all the gratin, the whole gratin), which serves to point out that these groups tend to adopt a herd behavior.Įxample: “Je suis allée à son vernissage, tout le gratin de la presse était là.” “I went to her vernissage, the whole gratin of the press was there.”

#LE VERNISSAGE FRENCH TO ENGLISH MOVIE#

Because of this, the term is often qualified further to specify the traits of the group in question: le gratin du cinéma for the movie crowd, le gratin parisien for the Parisian high society, le gratin mondain for socialites, etc. Though it was originally a matter of social class only, usage of this expression now extends beyond that to consider one’s connections, talent (perceived or real), and popularity: an up-and-coming artist, for instance, can belong to the gratin without being particularly wealthy (yet) or of noble origin. It is generally used with a subtle mix of contempt and envy by people who are not a part of that circle.Ī close equivalent would be the English idiom the upper crust (before it became a popular name for pizzerias and bakeries). Browse the list of idioms featured so far.Īs cooks may already know, gratin* is the generic French term for preparations (often involving vegetables and some sort of binding sauce) cooked in a baking dish in the oven until the surface browns and becomes crusty.īut it is also a colloquial expression that refers to a social elite, an exclusive crowd who distinguish themselves by their social background, their wealth, their elegance, and/or the select field they work in.

#LE VERNISSAGE FRENCH TO ENGLISH SERIES#

This is part of a series on French idiomatic expressions that relate to food.

Le vernissage french to english