Edmund White, that perceptive chronicler of what he termed “the paradoxes of Paris,” recounts that he was once invited to “one of those mondain dinners the French know how to give with such grace and that are made up of such startling combinations of guests that they are invariably exciting and (to use a favorite French word that always makes Americans bridle) terribly ‘amusing.’ ” Now imagine having been there with White and having at first eavesdropped and then participated in a conversation about art between two elegant and obviously very well-informed gentlemen: one, a famous museum director, the other, a journalist and critic. They are spiritedly conversing about the artistic significance of a dizzying variety of places, periods, styles, mediums—only some of which have the ring of familiarity. And yet, despite its decidedly esoteric aura, this free-form exchange of opinions, comparisons, and insights is anything but pedantic. You are totally enchanted and, beyond feeling a tinge of envy, you’re grateful for the privilege of having been included as an equal in the discourse.

But it gets better: it turns out that the two gentlemen are preparing to set out on a tour of great artistic sites and graciously suggest that you, the eavesdropper, might consider coming along! Although the encounter at the Parisian dinner party is imaginary, the invitation is very real and is now actually proffered in the form of a trim and attractively produced book called Rendez-vous with Art, recently published by