Paris: Art in the Metro

There are more modern subway systems than the Paris metro, but few are as convenient, reasonably priced or, at the better stations, more elegant. Which is not to say that it can't be very tedious when the metro workers have one of their periodic gréves (strikes), or very sleazy at some of the more down and dirty stations late at night.

There are stations not to be missed, like the Louvre-Rivoli (a small taste of the nearby Musée du Louvre), Cluny-La Sorbonne (decorated with ceramic replicas of the signatures of intellectuals, artists and scientists from the quarter) or, best of all, Arts et Métier (looking like a brass-plated Jules Verne submarine).

Metro entrances are proclaimed by a variety of elegant signposts, and from Place de la Bastille you can spot all three standard signs. There are big yellow Ms beside the Opéra, standard red Art Nouveau signs on the Marais side of Place de la Bastille and, best of all, at the nearby Bréguet Sabin station, the writhing pale green metalwork of one of the Art Nouveau metro signs designed by Henri Guimard.

Guimard (1867-1942), the best known of French Art Nouveau architects, did other work, including the so-called Guimard synagogue in the Marais and the Castel Béranger apartment building on Rue La Fontaine (16e). But he'll always be remembered (and very fondly) for these bizarre metro signs, designed between 1898 and 1901, which look like escapees from a science fiction film.

Back to the Top