Bridge will bear Poitier’s name

NASSAU, Bahamas » A bridge in the Bahamas is being renamed to honor Sidney Poitier, who spent part of his childhood on Cat Island, a sparsely populated island in the central Bahamas.

Prime Minister Perry Christie says the Paradise Island Bridge will be re-christened as part of next month’s 40th-anniversary celebration of Bahamian independence. Christie says the 88-year-old film star is being honored for his life story and acts of diplomacy. Poitier has been Bahamian ambassador to Japan and UNESCO.

The Paradise Island Bridge, the largest in the Bahamas, connects the capital to the Atlantis resort, one of the region’s main tourist destinations.

French influence seen in Hopper

PARIS » A major Edward Hopper retrospective in Paris reveals that the 20th-century painter famed for his rendering of American life drew inspiration from France.

The show’s curator, Didier Ottinger, said that Hopper was "a lifelong Francophile" who first visited Paris in 1906. That was just after an important exhibition of the influential Fauvism movement known for its strong use of color.

Ottinger said he clearly took influence from participating artists such as Henri Matisse even though Hopper’s palette is more muted. "You can see it in his large, solid color masses," he said.

The illuminating collection includes some 128 Hopper works — such as lonely masterpieces "Gas," "Hotel Room"and "Soir Bleu" — alongside 35 comparative works from French artists who influenced him.

The exhibit, which draws from collections in the United States, Spain and France, is on view at Paris’ Grand Palais through Jan. 28.