Street Art à Paris, à la découverte de l’art des rues
Stroll around the streets of the capital and contemplate works of art on your way ! Paris has been full of street art since the 1960s, so make the most of your visit to discover its wonderful diversity ! And not only outside in the street as certain bars and restaurants have adopted it as their decor, and several galleries have made it their speciality.
Paris is an open-air museum ! Just by looking up, you can see some astonishing works : graffiti symbolising hip-hop culture, roguish stencilwork, poetic collages and monumental frescoes covering the facades of many buildings. From Montmartre to Butte-aux-Cailles, open your eyes wide as every gap presents a pretext for creative work and colourful wall paintings cover ugly concrete in many parts of Paris. So, if you fancy an unusual walk around the street art of Paris, here are the neighbourhoods you need to see !
The 13th arrondissement : the favourite spot of street artists for several years, it is now a genuine open-air museum ! There are more than ten frescoes alone just in the sector around Nationale métro station, Rue Jeanne d’Arc and Boulevard Vincent Auriol !
Eastern Paris : the districts of Oberkampf, Belleville and Ménilmontant are important centres of street art. Every 2 weeks a new artist is invited to perform at 107, Rue Oberkampf (11th arrondissement). The performance takes place during the day and in public, a real feast for the eyes ! Finally, to enjoy a little bit of nature while admiring art, have a walk in the Parc de Belleville (20th arrondissement) where works by street artists adorn walls and pillars.
The district of La Villette : marvel at the amazing, long, multi-coloured wall in Rue de l’Ourcq (19th arrondissement), not far from the canal. A number of artists from the 19th arrondissement have given it a new lease of life, each one bringing their own style and colours. A 15 minute walk away is the longest wall fresco in Paris, created in 2015 in the Rue d’Aubervilliers.
The centre of Paris : the city centre walls from the Halles district to Serge Gainsbourg’s home are a playground for street artists.
Indoor street art : In Paris, street art can also be seen in museums and art galleries ! During the long winter days, there’s no better place to get warm than at Art42 (17th), the first urban art museum in France. Some art galleries have a schedule of rich and varied street art exhibitions : Galerie Brugier-Rigail (3e), Openspace (11e), Artistik Rezo (11e), Backslash (3e), Cabinet d’Amateur (11e), Celal (1e), Itinerrance (13e), Galerie Wallworks (10e) and Galerie Magda Danysz (11e).
To learn more about urban art, you can walk around the different districts of the capital with a guide. Several different organisations offer guided discovery tours of the city’s street art."