A rich history and moving look at the accessible, immersive art
embedded in the Paris subway system
Submarine wall decorations, a ceramic declaration of human rights, a
stained-glass red hen, a mosaic mouth, a Murano glass aedicule. The
walls of the Paris Métro, adorned with works by French and foreign
artists, have punctuated the underground travels of Parisians and
tourists for over a century. In 1900, architect Hector Guimard created
the subway entrances. His Art Nouveau style works embrace the notion of
free art--accessible to all, flowing with movement, surprising, and
ambitious. Today's subway system still champions this immersive cultural
experience and artistic openness as evidenced by the 20 or so creations
selected for Art in Motion. With concise and well-researched texts,
Anaël Pigeat, introducing us to the artists and giving them a voice,
explains their creative process, paying tribute to the work of the many
craftsmen and craftswomen and their innovations, while highlighting the
numerous constraints entailed by the subway environment. With a
contemporary perspective by photographer Philippe Garcia, the book
captures the works in their environment, then moves closer to show us
the material and the artistic gestures. Each creation carries its own
story and its own relationship to the underground: offering a
reinterpretation of existing works or taking us down memory lane, they
lead us into a dream-like world or fit in the framework of an
international exchange, these works shine on and imperceptibly change
our travels.
