Heels an' Deals

Heels an' Deals, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

You don't have to go paying to see art in Paris: the whole of Paris is
art!

Take the Saint Germain area of the bohemian (and intellectual) Left
Bank, for instance. The little streets between boulevard Saint Germain
and the Seine are heaving with commercial art galeries (read 'picture
shops'), which are dying for you to go in and certainly don't expect
you to walk out five minutes later whistling cheerily with a €5000
painting or sculpture under your arm.

Just avoid the classic art ignoramus' faux pas and cultural clangers
like asking 'So what sort of discount can you do me on the browny
one?' or sniggering loud enough to be heard by all 'My three-year-old
daughter could have done a better job than that with her eyes closed...'

Much safer to go down the respectfully circumspect route, with rueful
comments such as 'I really like this piece, but it's a little over my
budget...' or 'Fascinating, just... fascinating! Could you tell me a
bit more about the patient, ERRR, artist?'

We're not buying second-hand cars here, and it's just possible there's
more to that bright red, metre-high, shiny plastic stiletto than meets
the eye! Just possible...

(A Paris iPhone street photograph by Sab Will for the 'Paris and I'
photo blog)