Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [88]
Line 14 – the so-called ‘Météor’ between St-Lazare and Olympiades in the 13e – is a particularly arty one, especially on the way down to the platforms, where art is projected onto the walls at different levels. At varying times, other stations and lines might have temporary exhibitions. In 2008 line 10 made use of a ghost station (Croix Rouge, between Sèvres-Babylone and Mabillon) to tease with pink neon and demure black curtains, promoting an X-rated exhibition on erotic art and pornography at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.
Though very much ‘above ground’, the nine works of art that follow the 8km course of tram line T3 Click here through the 13e, 14e and 15e includes a giant ‘Telephone’ by Sophie Calle and Frank Gehry and a wonderful ‘Skate Park’ by Peter Kogler.
The following list is just a sample of the most interesting stations from an artistic perspective. The specific platform is mentioned for those stations served by more than one line.
Abbesses (Map; line 12) The noodle-like pale-green metalwork and glass canopy of the station entrance is one of the finest examples of the work of Hector Guimard (1867–1942), the celebrated French Art Nouveau architect whose signature style once graced most metro stations. For a complete list of the metro stations that retain édicules (shrine-like entranceways) designed by Guimard, www.parisinconnu.com.
Arts et Métiers (Map; line 11 platform) The copper panelling, portholes and mechanisms of this station recall Jules Verne, Captain Nemo and collections of the nearby Musée des Arts et Métiers.
Bastille (Map; line 5 platform) A large ceramic fresco features scenes taken from newspaper engravings published during the Revolution, with illustrations of the destruction of the infamous prison.
Bibliothèque (Map; line 14) This enormous station – all screens, steel and glass, and the terminus of the high-speed (and driverless) Météor – resembles a hi-tech cathedral.
Bonne Nouvelle (Map; platforms on lines 8 & 9) The theme here is cinema, presumably because of all the movie theatres along the Grands Boulevards.
Carrefour Pleyel (line 13) This station just south of St-Denis (Map) and named in honour of composer and piano-maker Ignace Joseph Pleyel (1757–1831) focuses on classical music.
Champs-Élysées Clemenceau (Map; transfer corridor btwn lines 1 & 13) The elegant frescoes in blue enamelled faïence recall Portuguese azulejos tiles and so they should: they were installed as part of a cultural exchange between Paris and Lisbon.
Cluny–La Sorbonne (Map; line 10 platform) A large ceramic mosaic replicates the signatures of intellectuals, artists and scientists from the Latin Quarter through history.
Concorde (Map; line 12 platform) 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’Homme 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 (Map; line 1 platform & corridor) Statues, bas-reliefs and photographs offer a small taste of what to expect at the Musée du Louvre above ground.
Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (Map) The zany entrance on the place du Palais Royal (a kind of back-to-the-future look at the Guimard entrances), designed by young artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, is made up of two crown-shaped cupolas (one representing the day, the other night) consisting of 800 red, blue, amber and violet glass balls threaded on an aluminium structure.
Parmentier (Map; line 3) The theme in this station is agricultural crops, particularly the potato – it was the station’s namesake, Antoine-Auguste Parmentier (1737–1817), who brought the spud into fashion in France.
Pont Neuf (Map; line 7) With the former