The term street art refers to a movement encapsulating different techniques and methods of artistic creation using public space as a canvas. It includes the well-known graffiti but also the display of posters, mosaic and artistic installations, to name a few. Here is an overview of Parisian street art.
1) Le M.U.R
The M.U.R association (which would roughly translate as modular, urban and reactive) was created in 2003 and promotes street art. Located in the rue Oberkampf, the free expression wall of the association displays ephemeral pieces in a 3×8m format.
The posters are created in a workshop using different techniques before they are put on display. They are changed every two weeks to let other artists express themselves.
Address: 107 rue Oberkampf, 75011, Paris
http://www.lemur.fr/
(the website is not yet available in English)
2) The 13th district
In 2009, the town hall of the 13th district of Paris, in collaboration with Galerie Itinerance, created a tour of the mural paintings of the neighbourhood.
The initiative allowed the creation of self expression walls for artists (French and otherwise) and played a huge part in the fame of the district.
The circuit was created as a museum exhibition. You can walk past 35 mural paintings, created by 26 artists from 12 different countries.
http://www.streetart13.fr/
(the website is not yet available in English)
3) Rue d’Aubervilliers
The mural painting on Auberviliers Street is about 550 yards long, making it the longest in Paris. The painting was created by the collectif GFR in collaboration with the town halls of the 18th and 19th district.
Also known as the “Rosa Parks Wall”, it is a tribute to this great woman and her fight.
Five internationally acclaimed artists (4 women and 1 man) contributed to the creation of the painting for the “Rosa Parks fait le mur” event of 2015.
Address: 104-164 rue d’Aubervilliers, 75019, Paris
http://collectifgfr.com/portfolio/rosaparksfaitlemur2015
(the website is not yet available in English)
4) Banksy
Everyone has heard of Banksy, the famous but anonymous street activist artist who has created “The Armoured Dove”, “Kissing Policemen” and “Girl with Balloon”, just to name a few. He also auctioned a piece of art in 2018 which self-destructed right after the bid.
The same year Banksy visited the French capital and decorated the walls with his stencils.
You can find:
- one of his biggest Parisian pieces – a little girl covering up a swastika – near Porte de la Chapelle (18th);
- another one is on the emergency exit of the Bataclan;
- a free interpretation of Jacques-Louis David’s painting “Napoleon crossing the Alps” can be seen at the 41 avenue de Flandres,75019, Paris;
- a piece depicting a man holding a saw while feeding a bone to a crippled dog can be seen at the 2 rue Victor Cousin, 75005, Paris;
- multiple rat stencils can be found at these addresses:
– 25 rue Maître Albert, 75005, Paris
– rue Beaubourg, 75004, Paris
– 45, rue Mont-Cénis, 75018, Paris
– under the Grenelle bridge, 75015, Paris
Please note that the artworks are directly accessible to the public and therefore can be covered up or erased.
5) Street Art Avenue
It is the tourist office which created this open-air museum that goes from the Stade de France to the Parc de la Villette.
Over 37 artists contributed to the creation of the mural paintings bordering the Saint-Denis canal. It constitutes a very poetic walk.
The tourist office organizes guided tours during summer. The rest of the year, the itinerary can be found on their website.
Address: 1 place de l’écluse, 93200, Saint-Denis
https://uk.tourisme93.com/street-art-avenue.html
6) The walls of Art Azoï
Art Azoï is an association created in 2011 and declared of “general interest” since 2018. Its goal is to develop sustainable spaces of free artistic expression.
The creations of the association are often ordered by public cultural institutions. They follow a strong editorial line. An example? The programme of the wall of the Karcher park, which changes every two months.
You can find every free expression wall of the association on their website.
Address: 163, rue des Pyrénées, 75020, Paris
http://www.artazoi.com/
(the website is not yet available in English)
7) Vitry-sur-Seine
Vitry has been a hotspot of the street art culture since the mid 2000s and is now internationally renowned.
It acquired its fame thanks to the graffiti artist C215 but also to the local council for supporting him and the “cultural 1%” (a French legal provision created in the 50s, which states that 1% of the budget allocated to the construction of a public building should be dedicated to the creation of contemporary artworks).
Since 2010, the whole path between the RER C train station and the Saint-Germain church has been covered with mural paintings. The street art is widely supported by the population and now Vitry is one of the only towns asking the question of how to care for the artworks painted on its streets.
Address: 94400, Vitry-sur-Seine
For more information see the Facebook page of the association Vitry’n Urbaine, which does not only work hand-in-hand with artists but also organises urban walks.
8) ART42
You thought that street art belongs only to the outdoors? You were wrong.
It is within the walls of the 42 computer programming school that you can find the ART42 museum. It is the first museum dedicated to urban art in France. Its vocation is to make street art more accessible to the general public by giving it a permanent display.
It has more than 40,000 square feet that are allocated to the 150 pieces of street art and post-graffiti (the term “post-graffiti” refers to graffitis made on canvas that are not urban). You can contemplate the work of the most famous street artists: Banksy, Le Diamantaire, JR, Shepard Fairey, etc.
Free tours of the museum are given every other Tuesday, but they must be booked in advance.
Address: 96 boulevard Bessières, 75017, Paris
http://www.art42.fr/en/home.html
9) Rue Dénoyez
There is no point in giving you advice on what pieces to look for in Rue Dénoyez ; they will be covered up by the time you get to see them. That is what makes it so special.
The street is known for its art galleries and workshops but it is renowned for its epileptic walls, from ground to roof.
There are so many things to see, from spray painted signatures to meticulous wall paintings. You might even cross paths with a street artist while you are there – the street is in perpetual motion.
10) The Ménilmontant district
Ménilmontant was the birthplace of the graffiti movement and an urban culture hotspot during the 80s.
While walking through the district you may encounter the silhouette of one of the famous “white men” of Jérôme Mesnager, one the first urban painters of Paris. His silhouettes are a symbol of “light, strength and peace” and have been painted all over the world – even on the Great Wall of China – but they have been illuminating the walls of Ménilmontant since the 90s. The most famous one is the “C’est nous les gars d’Ménilmontant” painting at the corner of Ménilmontant Street and Sorbier Street.
You can also encounter the work of Némo, renowned for his black silhouettes.
Many more artists have practised their art – and keep doing so – on the glowing walls of the district. Beware of a stiff neck!
http://menil.info/Street-Art
(the website is not yet available in English)
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