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Paris metro stations |
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Art is not just in the museums and galleries of Paris, it's all around you - even in metro stations. Few underground railways systems are as convinient as, as reasonably priced or, at the better stations, more elegant than the Paris one. Some 175 metro stations were given a face-lift to mark the centenary of the system in 2000, with theirr lighting improved, permanent decorations spruced up and/or rearranged, and new ones added. The following list is just a sample of the most interesting stations from an artistic point of view.
Abbesse: The noodle-like pale-green metalwork and glass canopy of the station entrance is one of th efinnest examples of the work of Hector Guimard (1867 - 1942), the best-known French Art-Nouveau architect, whose signature style once graced most metro stations.
Arts et Métiers: The copper panelling, portholes and mechanisms of this station recall Jules Verne, Captain Nemo and the nearby Musée des Arts et Métiers.
Bastille: A large ceramic fresco features scenes taken from newspaper engravings published during the French Revolution.
Bibliothèque: This enormous station - all screens, steel and glass, and the terminus of the high-speed Météor Line that opened in 1998 - resembles a high-tech cathedral.
Bonne Nouvelle: The theme here is cinema.
Carrefour Pleyel: This station just south of St-Denis and named in honor of composer and piano-maker Ignace Joseph Pleyel (1757 - 1831) has been reconfigured as a 'contemporary musical instrument', with the rumble of the trains the 'music' and, no doubt, computers the 'picks'.
Champs Elysées - Clémenceau: The elegant frescoes in blue, enamelled faience recall Portugese azulejos tiles and so they should: they were installes as part of a cultural exchange between Paris and Lisbon.
Cluny - La Sorbonne: A large ceramic mosaic replicates the signatures of intellectuals, artists and scientists from the Latin Quarter, through history.
Conncorde: On the walls of the station, what look like children's building blocks in white and blue ceramic are 45,000 tiles that spell out the text of the Déclaration des Droits de l'Hommes et du Citoyen (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen), the document setting forth the principles of the French Revolution.
Louvre - Rivoli: Statues, bas-reliefs and photographs offer a samll taste of what to expect at the Musée du Louvre above ground.
Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre: The unusual modern entrance on the place du Palais Royal (a kind of back-to-the-future look at the Guimard entrances), designed by young artist Jen-Michel Othoniel, is made up to 800 red, blue, amber and violet glass balls and resemble a crown.
Parmentier: The theme in this station is agricultural crops, particularly patato since is was the station's namesake, Antoine-Auguste Parmentier, who brought the patato into fashion in France. Today, any dish with the word Parmentier has potatoes in it: potage Parmentier, Hachis Parmentier...
Pont Neuf: With the old mint and the Musée de la Monnaie de Paris just above, the focus here is on coins: obsolete francs and all-too-current euros.
Have a look at my lovely apartment in paris:
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Saint Germain des Prés, Latin Quarter
(2-4 people)
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