"Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it." Jules Renard, French writer, 1864-1910

With the recent information imparted by the print specialist, I was eager to begin a new search. Confined indoors by the recent snowstorm I cozied up on the couch with my laptop and a cup of thé vert ready to pursue my new lead. Easier said than done. After an hour of googling souvenir shops in Paris all I came up with were copious hits for Eiffel Tower replicas in various sizes and materials, and a modicum of regret that I never actually purchased one as a memento when I was there.

The best case scenario would be a return trip to the City of Lights to do another in-person investigation but my suggestion was met with a reaction that sounded a lot like Ricky Ricardo's oft-repeated reply to Lucy's hair-brained ideas, "What's the matter with you? Are you crazy or somethin'?" Looks like a trip to Paris won't be happening anytime soon. At times like this I really wish I had a French pen pal. But I do have two readers with friends in French places so I contacted both readers to plead my case and ask for help in locating long-established souvenir shops and print galleries. Both came through for me. One, perhaps fearful that my notoriously poor mastery of the French language might inadvertently damage his relationship with his French friend, kindly offered to contact his friend for me. The other reader, also aware of my language problem, provided a few French phrases for me to insert in Google France to help locate the correct type of shops.

Of course, once I locate the shops there remains the next step, that of contacting the proprietors of said shops and relating my story. So I composed an email explaining my great desire to find my beloved Hubert. After re-reading the email I realized that what I wrote could possibly sound like a solicitation for an online French dating service, so I plugged the paragraph into a web-based translation site rather than relying on my high school French. Hopefully this will avoid any lost in translation issues. Now I just have to weed through the hundreds of sites on Google France to try to determine the most appropriate shops to contact - in French. Hindered once again by my my inability to read or write any more than the most basic French phrases, it's been extremely slow-going and I've only been able to recognize a few sites to contact on my own and follow up with an email.

So far, I've yet to receive a response to the few emails I've sent. Not even one in error from French match.com....

"She just wanted to show me some French etchings." The Thin Man by Hammett

I've taken to showing my Hubert etchings to anyone that shows a glimmer of interest. A tad disconcerting for my husband who would much prefer that I occupy my time getting back into the 9 to 5 grind instead of playing host to a procession of onlookers parading through the Hubert gallery I set up in the upstairs hallway of our house. But showing my etchings has finally paid off.

The print expert at the library who graciously accepted my proposal to view my etchings up close and personal kindly agreed to meet with me last week. Fearful perhaps that in my overly enthusiastic state I would show up with a U-haul in tow unloading crates of Hubert's work, he tactfully suggested bringing two or three examples of Hubert's works for him to examine. But thrilled at the prospect of finally speaking in person with someone knowledgeable on the subject I set out with a dozen etchings in my bag and enough excitement to propel me up the hundreds of steps to the third floor print room of the imposing historic building.

A self-described bibliophile, I gawked at the reams of beautiful leather-bound books lining the wood paneled walls while I waited for the front-desk librarian to summon the print expert. Expecting a bespectacled, bow-tied, bearded gentleman I was greeted by a man who more closely resembled a big- screen star than someone who spends his time pouring over works of art. Distracted by musing about which actor would best play his part should they ever shoot a movie about the NY Public Library, I  quickly regained my focus remembering my mission and proceeded to dress the large wooden library table with my dozen etchings.

Unfortunately, the library has no record of Hubert in their archives. Although we still don't know who Hubert is, we now know conclusively who Hubert is not. Hubert is not Alfred Hubert nor is he Hubert Robert having been incorrectly identified as both on occasion. After examination and discussion, it was determined that most likely Hubert was a souvenir artist (and a pretty good one at that) which explains why his work shows up all over the world. It also explains why I've had negative responses from the various museums I've contacted. Apparently I've been barking up the wrong tree. Looks like I need to zero in on long established antique shops and souvenir shops in the Paris area. And my search gets more and more difficult. But on a positive note I now have a new direction, and, thanks to the very charming print expert, I finally feel validated in my search...

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor." Cicero

To recapitulate or bring you up to speed as Inspector Clouseau said, to date responses from le Musee d'Orsay, Musee des Annees 30, Musea Brugge, Sothebys, and the NY Public Library have been negative so far as having any evidence of Hubert in their databases. No response has been received from le Musee de Montmartre nor from the print detective I emailed back in December. No appraisal yet due to lack of funds but I'm not sure how worthwhile an appraisal would prove to be as it would most likely estimate the value of the print rather than impart any knowledge about the artist. I'm currently waiting and hoping for the NY Public Library's print expert to scrutinize the etchings and perhaps shed some light on the subject or point me in a new direction. I've sent copies of some of my Hubert etchings and business cards to my ex-federal agent friend to explore museums and maybe a university or two in his hometown to expand my search across interstate lines.

My search for Hubert, although still unresolved, has been plodding along with leads then dead ends, advice then dead ends, ideas then dead ends. And now the plodding has come to a grinding halt. I'm stumped, stymied, at a standstill. I've hit a brick wall at 57 m.p.h. Unsure of what to do or where to go next I turn to my usual source of salvation - when the going gets tough, the tough go to the gym. A respite from the interminable challenges of life, I find solace in the steely arms of the fitness equipment. Jobs, money, people drop out of your life inexplicably but the gym is always there for me to run out my frustrations on the treadmill, climb my way out of a melancholy mood on the stairclimber, or just punch out my anger on the sandbag.

I do some of my best thinking at the gym - there's really not much else to do while running or climbing for 60 minutes unless you count eavesdropping on the conversations about the sexual exploits of the two couture clad women in full makeup to the left of me, or the two senior citizens to the right of me comparing colonoscopy narratives. Once again, I find myself at the gym looking for answers, this time to my Hubert conundrum. Instead of answers I got a severe muscle cramp in my right shoulder from overdoing my workout and a crick in my neck from straining to glimpse the well-developed quadriceps of the weightlifters. I'm out of ideas but I'm not out of hope yet. As Fran, the 94 year-old gym regular, optimistically replies to the perfunctory "Good morning, how are you doing today?" greeting from her many admirers  - "Well, I'm still here, aren't I!"....

"Now let me bring you up to speed...we know nothing! You are now up to speed." Inspector Clouseau, The Pink Panther 2

My ex-fed friend (as in federal agent, not to be confused with Fed-ex) responded to my plea for help with a long list of professional recommendations, a sign that he still thrives on the adrenaline rush of investigation or perhaps a sign that he has way too much time on his hands. Either way, I welcomed his ideas even though the first of which was to start all over again since my quest "hasn't been all that successful." Ouch! My instructions as per my Supervisory Special Agent or SSA (could his self-appointed title whose acronym when held up to a mirror, be designed to form a certain message for me?) are as follows:

1-Make copies of Hubert's work to take out in the field ("you never want to take evidence out of the evidence locker.") Previously accomplished.

2-Scan his works in e-mailable format. Previously accomplished.

3-Take all leads acquired through the years - responses from museums, galleries, people, etc. - and record results in a newly created Hubert file. Good idea, info now recorded on index cards

4-Never assume anything. Hubert may be a first name, last name, nickname or pseudonym. Point well taken.

5-E-mail Hubert's work to library research desks, art museums, and galleries in major cities. Previously accomplished and ongoing.

6-Canvas local galleries, museums, antique shops, print shops, etc. with etching copies and leave a business card ("I've had countless investigations where someone who swore they knew nothing, all of a sudden have their memory jogged three days later and call the number off my business card with very good info.") Business card is a very interesting idea, however, the thought of personally engaging strangers leaves me frozen with fear considering I'm always the one at a social gathering sitting in a dark corner feigning fascination with the ice cubes in my drink.

7-Expand my search and branch out to France and Belgium. Hello? I haven't been awarded an international fellowship, my unemployed status barely takes me to the local supermarket.

8-Become a cold, hard investigator. Lose the passion for your subject. Too late, I'm already emotionally involved with my etchings.

9-Set a goal of closing this case one year from now to avoid a "career case", a pejorative term for an agent that sits on a case for years. Sage advice but I somehow suspect that I'll be wiping the drool off my Chasing Hubert business cards from my wheelchair in the nursing home.

10- Have fun and good luck! 

Looks like I'm going to need a lot of luck. Feeling a bit like the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, my Chasing Hubert business cards in hand, I'm off to give it my best shot. I guess everyone has a dream, some people dream of fame or fortune, some dream of winning an Oscar or receiving an Olympic gold medal. Mine just happens to be discovering the identity of an etcher....... 

Mission Impossible

A bit of Hubert trivia for the week: Hubert is the patron saint for hunters. Apparently, Saint Hubert (interestingly, born in France and died in Belgium) devoted most of his time to the chase which was his chief passion. An ironic twist of fate considering that I am hunting the hunter. Or at least I am hunting the artist using this eponym. One can only imagine what Hubert would have to say about this blog - blogger on a wild-goose chase, blogger chasing rainbows... okay, I'm guilty of circumlocution and now it's time to cut to the chase.

Last week I received a negative - no Hubert here - response from the D'Orsay. No sign of Hubert in Belgium either. My disappointment, however, was tempered by the good-humored and pleasant manner in which the news was delivered. The museums were kind enough to provide names and links to refer me to additional museums and libraries that might aid in furthering my search. To date, the institution that holds the most promise is the New York Public Library who, although also had no Hubert in their database, delightfully accepted my out-of-character bold and rather persistent proposal to examine my Hubert etchings. And so, the chase for Hubert advances in baby steps rather than giant leaps but the hunt is on, at any rate.

At an impasse until the NY Public Library's print expert can examine my prints, I decided to take a cue from a popular game show and phone a friend. I placed a call to my ex-federal agent friend, otherwise referred to by some in my family as Uncle Jack Bauer in a nod to the TV show "24", (although I feel my objective in this case more closely resembles the show "Mission Impossible") for a quick tutorial on how to track a missing artist. Certainly a person who trailed gang members, terrorists, missing persons, deadbeat dads, and criminals of varying degrees for a living, would have little problem locating a mysterious foreign etcher.  I compiled a dossier of pertinent information I've gathered over the years on a post-it, included a message for him that began "Your mission should you decide to accept it...", and anxiously await his investigative strategy. I just hope and pray that this blog will not self-destruct in 5 seconds....

Am I Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

It might seem a paradox but Hubert's rich macaroni and cheese put me in an exceptionally buoyant mood. After partaking in my good luck New Year's Eve meal, 2010 appeared promising from both a Chasing Hubert and a personal perspective but before long my hopes were dashed. In the same way a bloodhound sniffs out criminals, challenges seem to dog me. Awarded a scholarship by a local college for a course in an area of study I know nothing about nor have had any experience in, I nevertheless embraced this latest challenge because after all, if Madonna can reinvent herself why can't I? Unfortunately, a rock star future is not in my stars because the New Year's ball barely touched down when I received a call apprising me that the college dropped the ball on funding for the scholarship.

The second bomb of 2010 was dropped when an email from the researcher at le Musee d'Orsay lit up my computer screen informing me that after examination of the etching copy I sent, it was determined that according to the style of clothes and the overall style of the print the artist is too recent for the musee which covers the time period between 1820 and 1870, and that Hubert's etching probably dates after WW1.  She ends her note "as the subject is very common, I would not like to give you too much hope." This researcher was the first person to give my Hubert search recognition and responded quickly and so pleasantly to all of my queries that I was really rooting for her to be the one to find Hubert. Reeling from these two major setbacks in 2010 (and we're only into the first week of the New Year), compounded by fatigue from trying to burn off the excess calories from the French mac and cheese, I succumbed to a dark mood threatening to dominate the lingering dog days of winter.

While babysitting for my neighbor's three young sons I found myself relating my Hubert story to ten year- old Nathaniel, having thoroughly exhausted every adult I know. He listened rapt with attention as I plied him with freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. An hour later, after polishing off the second batch of cookies, he turned to me glassy-eyed and asked "What's a blog?" When I got to the part where I whined about being stumped as to where to go next for information he suggested the library. I answered smugly that I had and he matter-of-factly replied "What about the BIG library?' A bell went off and I immediately contacted the NY Public Library where the art and architecture department quickly responded and forwarded my email to their print department for further evaluation.

I predict a lucrative future career in law for Nathaniel - or maybe psychiatry? Thanks to my fifth-grade friend, hope was restored and I anxiously await - dare I say - some good news......

Bonne Année and Bon Appetit!

Not one for making (or keeping) New Year's resolutions, instead I poured all of my 2010 good intentions into hunting Hubert. I fired off a follow-up email to the Museé d'Orsay in Paris and one to le Musée de Montmartre as well. I researched art museums in Belgium and sent a note to the Groeninge Museum in Bruges. While surfing the web I located an interesting article on how to be a print detective and contacted the author for some advice. I followed up with the Appraiser's Association of America and, as I predicted, it's going to cost me. But I now have the name of an etching expert who can appraise my etchings once my proverbial ship comes in - and I'm hoping it pulls into port soon because I'm precariously hanging on to a life preserver by my fingertips. Although frankly, I care not if my Huberts are deemed to be valuable because Hubert's art brings me joy and isn't that what art is all about?

In many cultures it is considered good luck to start off the New Year by indulging in certain foods. Germans and Swedes eat herring for good fortune. Greeks bake a cake with a coin inside. The Chinese prepare dumplings. Italians eat lentils for luck. To enhance my chance for finding Hubert in 2010 I decided to jump on the New Year's food wagon and eat for luck. I vividly recall a philosophical carpool discussion on one particularly long commute in which it was theorized that everything in life boils down to money, sex, and food. Under my current circumstances money is obviously out of the picture. Sex is out as well since I attempt to keep this blog PG-rated. That leaves food as the common denominator. As American chef, James Beard once said "Food is our common ground, a universal experience."

To ring in the New Year on an auspicious note I created my own symbolism for New Year's Day food.  Perhaps my special meal will set the scene to bring more favorable results for finding Hubert this year. I adapted my sought-after but never-divulged macaroni and cheese recipe to create a French version in honor of Hubert. Sometimes my culinary creativity succeeds but more often than not, whenever I deviate from the tried and true, my inventiveness fails miserably. Therefore, I'm taking it as an unequivocal sign of good luck that my French macaroni and cheese was a roaring success. So indulge in a little French mac and cheese (recipe below), prepare a salad of greens, mandarin oranges, caramelized walnuts and vinaigrette and raise a glass of  Chardonnay to toast Chasing and Finding Hubert in 2010!....

Hubert's French Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz. of penne rigate or other tubular pasta
1 large clove of garlic cut in half
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large leek sliced thin
12 oz. Cantal cheese shredded, reserve 1/2 cup for topping
*if Cantal cheese is not available substitute Gruyere
1 cup creme fraiche
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350˚. In ovenproof baking dish rub the bottom and sides with one garlic half. Then brush with 1 tbsp. melted butter. Cook and drain pasta. Saute leeks in 1 tbsp butter about 5 minutes till soft. Crush second garlic half in garlic press and add to leeks while cooking. In large mixing bowl combine pasta, leeks, Cantal cheese, creme fraiche, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well, pour into baking dish. Top with reserved cheese. Melt remaining tbsp. butter, combine with breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top. Bake till hot, bubbly, and golden.