This latest exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo sheds new light on the enigmatic poet, painter, magician and creator of a new religion that was Aleister Crowley. Ruminating on a series of newly discovered works, many portraying occult scenes from the Abbey of Thelema which he founded in Sicily in the 1920s, ‘The Nightmare Room' offers a fresh and intriguing insight into this mysterious man. The paintings range from influential studies for his Thoth tarot cards, to images of a primitive and often hallucinogenic paradise. Coming from an artist whose work has been highly influential in the world of 20th and 21st century counter-culture, these works offer a new perspective and potential re-evaluation of the cult figure. TM

This retrospective provides an opportunity to discover or rediscover a major contemporary artist (born in 1931) whose work remains little known in France. Opening with her early Seurat-inspired canvases and concluding with her most recent works, many of which are on view for the first time in Europe, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on her artistic output, in particular the black and white paintings associated with Op Art. Having always maintained a certain distance from this movement, the artist rather situates her work in the post-Impressionist tradition. Created especially for the exhibition, two monumental and ephemeral works - a wall drawing Composition with Circles 6 and Wall Painting I - complete the trajectory. Although different periods are easily discernible in the work, her pictorial vocabulary remains circumscribed to colours and geometric shapes. Variations on these elements comprise series of paintings, whose optical effects produce sensations of movement, space or light. By placing perception at the heart of the aesthetic experience, the artist invites the viewer to ponder what he is seeing - or thinks he is seeing.

Courtesy of the German collective Photoautomat, the Palais de Tokyo hosts an authentic old-school (non-digital) photo booth, which spits out – remember? – a vertical strip of four black-and-white photos, and for only 2€. This endearing flashback of a contraption is also installed in various outposts in Berlin and Cologne. SM

Part art installation, part hotel room, the Hotel Everland juxtaposes the exclusivity of an ephemeral experience with the visibility of a high-profile location: the rooftop of the Palais de Tokyo. From this vantage point, guests of the mobile hotel ‘pod’ designed by art duo L/B (Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann) will be able to enjoy an unadulterated view of the Eiffel Tower, as well as the material luxury of daily room service, breakfast in bed, a personal concierge, and lush linens. The hotel stays in Paris untiil the end of 2008 year before traveling elsewhere (it was previously on the roof of the contemporary art museum in Liepzig); booki online. The price of this priceless experience? 333€ or 444€per night. MBK

'Chicken breast in coconut milk, fruit curry and lemongrass rice, 17€.'
Because it looked like a funked-up school canteen we’d never been particularly inspired to eat here before – but once you’re inside all thoughts of cold mashed potato disappear. The Palais de Tokyo’s restaurant rocks, especially on summer evenings when you can sit outside on the terrace. The inside space with its flying saucer lamps and weird and wonderful loos has the benefit of The Human Juke Box who proposes a parallel menu of eclectic hits; you can order David Bowie with your beef tataki and Coldplay with your croustillant de chocolat, and suddenly they’re playing your song! The menu is a round-the-world ticket with distinct flavours – the chicken curry is real curry and the beef teryaki brochettes were fabulous. They also serve ambrosial ice-creams with flavours such as caramel à la fleur de sel or honeyed gingerbread, and our Mont Ventoux red went down smoothly.