France

Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely turned machines and myths into joyful rebellion

The charming town of Llivia, a Spanish exclave in France, thrives with Catalan investment, in sharp contrast to its forgotten French surroundings

When it comes to building the person you’re meant to become, there are no shortcuts

The modest aristocrat was perhaps aware that she wasn’t the only woman who went the extra mile in the jungles of Indochina

The American indie stalwart's latest film tells the story of the making of another: Jean-Luc Godard’s À bout de souffle

Victims of sexual assault are harmed twice: first by their abuser and then by the justice system. Recognising this is just the start

Interior designer Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann is celebrated in the first of three exhibitions marking the movement’s centenary

The cemetery, opened by Napoleon, was unpopular at first. But then the VIPs came – followed by the ghosts

Mocked for speaking English with a Clouseau-esque accent, Lufbery’s time in American fatigues saw him become a wartime legend

A force of nature, Barclay was a boulevardier who made music and love with equal enthusiasm

How do you decide, for certain, that the place you emigrated to has changed you for good?

A newly discovered, signed script for Jean-Luc Godard’s first and greatest movie, Breathless, could fetch more than £400,000 at auction

More people are put to death in Iran than anywhere else on earth. Around the world, the protests are beginning

Britain and France both have atomic weapons. Now that the US is no longer a reliable ally, how should Europe deploy its nuclear deterrent?

The philosophical power couple lived in freedom, but that came at a cost for others around them

The Oscar-winning director of The Artist returns with a fairytale rooted in horror

An enigmatic Berlin exhibition inspired by Les Fleurs du mal misses the heavy velvet curtains and perfume and the sense of intoxication

Provence conjures up images of lavender fields and honey-coloured villages… but the reality of the périphérique is somewhat different

The far right leader demanded French courts get tough on corrupt politicians. Now she is paying the price

Her political ban might boost the National Rally - but equally, it could now crumble. So let’s celebrate

The city’s referendum gives Parisians the chance to have their say. Should Britain do the same?

While a cinema legend faces sexual assault claims, his Kremlin-defending lawyer denigrates witnesses – and compares his client’s treatment to the French revolution terror

Though the city’s International Women’s Day demonstration was well-behaved and good-humoured, its politics were fierce

The Frenchman always stressed that he was a writer of science fact, not science fiction

The entente cordiale was never dead, but it did limp on gingerly for some years. What a delight to see it thrive again

Le Balcon de Villard was cheap and very cheerful. Climate change and underinvestment changed that – but now NBA star Tony Parker wants to revive it

It was while the 22-year-old Germaine Lefebvre was walking down a Parisian street that her life was forever changed

A French senator has given a powerful speech setting out how the continent must deal with the twin threats from America and Russia

Marjorie Watson-Williams changed her name to Paule Vézelay, her home city from Bristol to Paris... and then set about changing art

Francis Picabia was derided for wartime nudes with a worryingly Aryan aspect. But a new exhibition of later work suggests we may need to re-evaluate him

The debate over the future of the new technology was between the US and EU. The danger for Britain is that we begin to look irrelevant

If even just one place were to open in a big city, and start offering decently priced, unfussy French bistro classics, they would become gazillionaires in a matter of weeks