Ghosts of Montparnasse:
The Missing Madonna1981
From the bustling street, I pass through the dark blue portal away from the clatter of traffic and cafés into a cobbled courtyard. The concierge isn’t in, but I know where to go: straight through a door at the back and into an inner court, where the art studios of Gauguin, Modigliani, and Ortiz de Zarate used to be. Finding the annex door wide open, I slip inside and start up the winding staircase as a staccato of hammers and the whining of saws tumble down from above. The door on the third floor also stands open, revealing fervent renovation in the works. Stepping into swirling clouds of sawdust, I sneeze conspicuously, and a carpenter intent on fitting a shelf into the wall looks up at me and frowns.
“Bonjour. Je cherche Monsieur Gérard
