Paris Graffiti

As all of you know I am very drawn to the graffiti and street art in Paris. Below are some recent examples of how bare walls  and other surfaces become public works of art to be appreciated by everyone.

The first three were the panels of a delivery truck I saw unloading the other day in the Marais. I love the portrait on the back doors (pictured above).

The fourth photo is of a life-sized rhinoceros in the Marais.

The last set of photos was a long mural next door to École Spéciale d'Architecture on the Blvd. Raspail. It looks like some workers for freedom campaign and the words seem to be in Russian. Yuriy, can you help me out here? Is this Russian or some other language you know and if it is Russian, can you translate?

Coming soon: Eye Prefer New York Tours

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Vicki Archer]

Love this graffiti Richard....I should be up to Paris after the summer, I hope we can finally meet up. xv

[Melissa]

Great pictures!!

[Lynn]

Just lovely! This makes an incredibly interesting page. Even if you know Paris inside out, people don't know these images as you have photographed them. They will love it!

[Peter]

MY reason for BEING a francophile, Richard? What better a nation than
one where a café/bar customer MUST step OVER the house German
shepherd, lying sprawled out on the business' doorstep (not unlike a
Jayne Mansfield porter girl pose), in order to get in for one's
morning café or afternoon coup de vin?!

But in the countryside, in la France Profonde? On the hardworking
farms? It is the complte opposite. Dogs there are 4th-class citizens.
Boo-hoo!

[Ellen]

I just had to drop you a quick note about the dogs. I had recently read that a new law now prohibits dogs from entering Paris food shops, and when I was there last month, I did notice that many hooks have been put up at store entrances for attaching dogs while their owners go shopping.

[HELEN]

Beautiful! We need to replicate this in NYC, rather than the spray can that puts the sign of a gang on buildings. This is so beautiful and thanks as always for your EYE.

[claudia]

LOVE these! As always, leave it to Paris to have the most chic graffiti. I really hope that you will include similar situations from the NYC tours in the blog. It would be interesting to see similar situations and items, side-by-side. Each would clearly have a different style and sensibility. It would be so interesting to see the differences in presentation!

[Yuriy]

Great graffiti! And don't even start me on the location of the Architecture School; within the immediate vicinity - and I am talking about mere 500 meters - there are tons of places and buildings full of historical, but mainly artistic and literary associations. :)
Richard, from the fragmentary words I see, it seems more like one of the Slavish languages, maybe Polish, but definitely not Russian. Sorry, not much help I can provide here.

[Yuriy]

A short comment on Peter's post. I believe the difference is rightly noted, however it's not being limited to the unique status of dogs in Paris, but rather is a part of the bigger difference between Paris and the French countryside. The glitz, and tolerance, and the fleeting magic of the city, and the perfect co-existing harmony between the grandeur of the Haussmannian city and winding streets of Marais, and the cosmopolitan nature of Paris, all of the above doesn't usually extend to the rest of Hexagon.

[Gerald]

We have included your blog in our guide Around The World http://www.geraldengland.co.uk/dp/

The guide is both a record of old blogs and a listing of new blogs. Although originally arising from the "City Daily Photo Blog" lists this is an independent publication. Inclusion here does not imply that a blog qualifies for nor is officially a CDPB. Our criteria are that photographs mainly from and related to a specific geographical location (not necessarily a "city" but usually more specific than a whole country or region) are posted at dated intervals (not necessarily daily) and archives are kept which are readily searchable by date.

Please keep us informed of any changes to your details.

[alain]

had recently read that a new law now prohibits dogs from entering Paris food shops, and when I was there last month, I did notice that many hooks have been put up at store entrances for attaching dogs while their owners goo shopping.