Petit Palais, Paris

I visited Paris for a few days this week, and aside from taking in some of my favourite works from the familiar major collections, I also made my first trip to the Petit Palais, and found an astonishing range of work - from contemporary photojournalism to bizarre ceramics and understated painting. 

The current temporary exhibition alone made the trip worthwhile. Pierre and Alexandra Boulat's work was scattered throughout the permanent collection, offering some thought-provoking juxtapositions, but the real intensity was saved for the focused room of 100 images from around the world. Afghanistan, Iraq and Yugoslavia offered sombre, upsetting and startling imagery, while pictures of Yves Saint Laurent offered respite but seemed horrendously out of place.