Street Art, Paris

In 1993 the artist Ben Vautier (born 1935) created this work of urban art at Place Fréhel in Belleville.

It shows two workmen (actually life-size puppets) lowering a huge blackboard with the words "Il faut se méfier des mots" = Beware of Words.

This square, which could also be thought of as a vacant lot, came into being when some buildings had to be torn down during the construction of the tunnel for Métro line number 11 from Châtelet to Porte des Lilas in the 1930s.

Vélib' 19102
Métro Pyrénées, Belleville
GPS 48°52'23.18" North; 2°22'54.28" East

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Whether you agree with street art or not is a question of opinion, but until it became "tagged" it depicted the scenes of everyday life, a little naive perhaps, but certainly the artist put some work into the 50/60 metres of its length.. Those that don't like it will welcome the fact that it will soon be covered by a vegetal screen of 2m50 high. The local neighbourhood council decided this as the original artist refused to let his oeuvre be washed away, so thay came up with this idea.

Nearest metro is Rue des Boulets.

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Off the Beaten Path in Plain Sight
• The department stores La Samaritaine, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.
• The Métro stations Abbesses, Porte Dauphine and Place Sainte-Opportune.
• The Grand Palais.

How can these VERY public places be considered Off-the-Beaten Path?! ... for a not so obvious activity -- an Art Nouveau sightseeing tour.

Art Nouveau is a style of architecture and applied art that was popular during 1890–1910 and the places listed here are a few very easily-reached, notable examples of the style:

Métro Stations by Hector Guimard (1867–1942):
• Châtelet (1st arr. @ intersection of Rue des Halles and Place Sainte-Opportune)
• Abbesses (Line 12, 18th arr. at the foot of Montmartre)
• Porte Dauphine (Line 2, 16th arr. @ Av. Foch)

Department Stores:
• Galeries Lafayette (Georges Chedanne & Ferdinand Chanut) in the 9th arr. @ Métro Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette‎
• Printemps (René Binet) -- just down the boulevard from Galeries Lafayette near Métro Havre - Caumartin‎
• La Samaritaine (Frantz Jourdain) in the 1st arr. @ Métro Pont-Neuf

Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées (8th arr @ Métro Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau or Franklin D. Roosevelt) Architects: Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas and Charles Girault

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Walking around Paris you can see these "Hommes blancs" or "Corps blancs", none more so than in the 20th district where Mesnager had his studio until a short while ago. Classed as an urban artist or a "pochoirist", which technically is false because the paintings are done free-hand, Mesnager created his design in 1983 and has gone on to paint them as far as the Great Wall of China. These are just a couple of examples of his style.

Closest metros are Pelleport and Jourdain.

This almost sinister looking public clock is located up a side street to the north of the Centre Pompidou, on rue Brantome. The "defender" apparently has hourly battles with the representations of air, water and earth although I'm not sure it was actually working when we were there. Interesting to see though

I came across this motto painted on the wall somewhere along rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre. I think it says:

Le chiffon fait le papier, le papier fait l'argent $
L'argent fait le banque, le banque fait le prêts €
Le prêt fait la mendiant, le mendiant fait des chiffons. ¥

Loosely translated or transliterally translated (thank God for Babelfish):
The rags make the paper, the paper makes the silver (money) $
The silver (money) makes bank, the bank makes the loans €
The loans make the beggar, the beggar makes the rags. ¥

And all with the appropriate money signs of the major power brokers of the world (U.S., Europe & Japan), but notice who they put first, either they're placing the U.S. first as having the most power or they're demonizing the U.S. the most, probably the latter. Very clever, I thought, very philosophical & very sage. I approve! I'm so glad I took the photo so that I could unravel the little mystery at home.

Please click on the photo to see the full Motto.

Photo: April 2003

When the hustle & bustle of Montmartre wears on your nerves, get away from the crowded Place du Tertre (artists square) and Sacré Cœur; take the time to follow little side streets in Montmartre.

I happened upon this lovely blue storefront on the rue Tholozé while on my way to find Studio 28. Nothing special, just pretty and blue with photos in the window.

Sometimes it's good just to put the guidebook away, wander thru the streets, let serendipity take you. Then you'll discover places of your own. Paris is FULL of these wondrous little places. And that's when Paris becomes yours.

Photo: April 2003

This statue is an example of why Paris is known as a city of art. One of the charms of this great city is that you can happen on art and history at every turn. Our hotel in Paris was near the Latin Quarter and there was a medical school nearby as was attested by the number of bookstores with medical texts in the windows. This statue was at the intersection of rue Casimir Delavigne and rue Monsieur Le Prince. Vulpian was a 19th C medical researcher and professor working primarily with the brain and nervous and muscular systems. He was evidently respected and admired by his collegues and students and here is memorialized in this wonderful work. He looks scholarly and pensive, doesn't he?