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The Arts Intel Report

De Profundis: Oscar Wilde

A photograph of Oscar Wilde, in the Oscar Wilde Suite at L’Hotel, in Paris.

Oct 18–22, 2023
13 Rue des Beaux Arts, 75006 Paris, France

In May of 1895, the Irish novelist, playwright, and poet Oscar Wilde was imprisoned on charges of “gross indecency with men.” He spent two years incarcerated in the United Kingdom before his 1887 release, after which he sailed to Paris, where he would live—in exile—until his death in 1900. L’Hotel, where Wilde spent his final days, is still up and running. And now, over a century after his death, the French boutique hotel is hosting an exhibit in tribute to the writer. Borrowing its title, “De Profundis,” from a sizable letter Wilde had written to his former lover just before the end of his prison sentence, the exhibit ion features 16 different artists and their varying interpretations of the 50,000-word correspondence. The art on display is for sale through the duration of the show: but if you miss “De Profundis,” keep in mind that L’Hotel offers nightly stays in Wilde’s very suite all year long. —Jack Sullivan

Photo: © Courtesy of L’Hotel, Paris