In a recent morning at the Louvre, Anya Firestone distributed bottles of Evian, proclaiming the importance of hydration in the “art of drinking.” With her rhinestone olive martini earrings, pink Manolo Blahniks, and a Marni dress adorned with Venus portraits, Firestone, a 34-year-old museum guide-conférencière and art integration strategist, led her client, Matt Stanley, and his Parisian date, Salomé Bes, past the long queues and toward the Code of Hammurabi. Within these ancient laws, which include the infamous “an eye for an eye” decree, Firestone highlighted references to alcoholic beverages, such as diluted wine and the people’s “right to beer.”
Impressed, Mr. Stanley, a 43-year-old CEO from Texas, had hired Firestone to curate a two-day alcohol-themed visit. “You’ll notice that the history of drinking and art followed a similar trajectory—from religious rituals with prayers and libations to indulgence and debauchery,” Firestone explained. She fondly refers to her custom tours as “cou-tours,” a play on the term “couture.”
Last autumn, Firestone appeared in the reality show “The Real Girlfriends of Paris” on Bravo. While showcasing her business, Maison Firestone, was her primary motivation for participating, she also aimed to raise the cultural bar for the often-ridiculed TV genre. Firestone takes pride in her wit, infusing puns and Yiddish expressions into her dialogue. “I don’t identify as American,” she proclaimed. “I consider myself a New-Yorkaise.”
A native of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, Firestone moved to Paris in 2010 after graduating from George Washington University. During an artist residency, she dabbled in poetry and sculpted oversized macarons before they gained popularity. Harnessing her inner Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, she briefly worked as an au pair. Firestone likens her current narrative to television shows like “Emily in Paris” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Following her master’s degree in French cultural studies from Columbia Global Center in Paris, she straddled between New York and Paris, delivering tailored tours and writing about the intersection of art and brands for Highsnobiety. Eventually, her passion for “art as branding” bore Maison Firestone, an enterprise that also designs themed events with luxury brands.
During a visit to the “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” a famous marble statue from Hellenistic Greece, more commonly referred to as “Niké,” Firestone drew attention to how the figure’s wings influenced the sportswear empire’s renowned Swoosh logo.
Previously, clients discovered Firestone through word-of-mouth recommendations. However, her appearance on the Bravo show and her active Instagram presence now attract approximately half of her clientele, including Mr. Stanley. Most of her clients hail from the United States, and tours start at $2,400 for one or two individuals per day.
Firestone’s approach involves showcasing the intersection of art with people’s preexisting pleasures and experiences. Whether it’s champagne, Schiaparelli, or NFTs, she strives to bring “art off the wall.” Recent and upcoming tours cater to drag queens, the crypto team at a venture capital firm, young girls with a fascination for dinosaurs, and even a blind man.
As they explored Dionysian art, Louis XIV’s stemware, and encountered the occasional Bravo enthusiast, Firestone guided Mr. Stanley and Ms. Bes into the Louvre’s largest room, where the Mona Lisa hung opposite Paolo Veronese’s monumental artwork “The Wedding Feast at Cana.” In this piece, Veronese depicts Jesus Christ turning water into wine, with wine tastings occurring throughout the painting.
After a cocktail and champagne-infused lunch at the Ritz, the itinerary dictated a visit to the Musée d’Orsay. As Firestone noted, the Louvre was once a palace, while the Musée d’Orsay was a former train station. She found that these companion visits displayed how art transitioned into modernity by breaking away from the monarchy, the church, and the academy, seeping into Parisian cafes.
Firestone highlighted Edgar Degas’ “L’Absinthe,” a painting that depicted a melancholic woman with a glass of the infamous green spirit. Nearby, Édouard Manet’s painting titled “Plum Brandy” portrayed the same woman, played by actress Ellen Andrée, in a less dispirited and inebriated state. Firestone encouraged her clients to ponder the difference.
Paris saw significant transformations during Napoleon III’s reign, led by urban planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann. This era brought about magnificent department stores like Le Bon Marché and Samaritaine.
The following day, Firestone and Mr. Stanley met at Samaritaine, where they indulged in a cognac tasting and enjoyed shopping in the private apartments with a stylist. Greeting the staff with a cowboy-inspired, “Bonjour. How y’all doin’?” Mr. Stanley chose a pair of drawstring trousers by Maison Margiela.
In the taxi ride that followed, Firestone pointed out a Prada advertisement featuring Scarlett Johansson. “They’re referencing that Man Ray photo of Kiki de Montparnasse,” she remarked. “We appreciate a good art-brand nod.” Pulling up the Man Ray photograph on her phone, Firestone provided Mr. Stanley with a master class.
Firestone concluded, “Who doesn’t love having their hand held in Paris?”
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