Hector Guimard’s Metro Entrance Design
Ashley Banos
Imagine
learning in class about an inspiring piece of 20th-century
architectural art and then learning that you will be able to see it in real
life. Now imagine that not only are you responsible for talking about it while
you are there, but that you will be so up close and personal with the artwork,
that you will literally see and use it every day.
 |
| Hector Guimard, Paris Metro Entrance (the entourage type: an open design, without a canopy or walls), c. 1900. Paris, Monceau stop (Photo: Ashley Banos) |
This
became a reality for me on a recent Spring Break trip my class took to PARIS,
FRANCE. Yes, that is right, moi: a
small-town girl from Arkansas was blessed beyond imagination to be an awkward
American in France for a week. While being in Paris, my group became acquainted
with the experience of public transportation as we rode the Paris Metro and bus
to various locations to experience art history, firsthand. As we rode the Metro
all throughout Paris, we always came back to the Metro stop closest to our
hostel: Mouton Duvernet.
 |
| Me, giving my presentation at the Mouton Duvernet stop. March 23, 2018 (Photo: Mary B. Shepard) |
This
Metro stop became very special to me because it was the site of one of the Metro
entrances created by Hector Guimard at the time the Metro was first established
in Paris around 1900. This is the work of art I was privileged to research and
present while we were in Paris. I cannot describe to you the feeling of turning
the corner every day and being face to face with an iconic piece of modern art.
This work of art was designed at a time when art flourished in Paris and is by
far, one of my favorite eras of art. This was the time of the greats like
Claude Monet, when Paris was a petri dish of creativity. I was literally able to
look straight up at the iconic lamp posts every day and feel like I was walking
into a gaping mouth. I was directed by the lava stone signs and typography
designed by Guimard. I personally saw the concept that Guimard was going for
and witnessed how he used the style of Art Nouveau to his advantage. Obviously,
something that would mark the new century would not only have to highlight its
modernity but also be something that reflects the amazing minds that were
congregating in Paris at the time. It was only natural that the Metro Entrance
designed in 1900 would itself be art. The design is so elegant, it inspired awe
as I marveled at what a truly beautiful object it is.
 |
| The Mouton Duvernet stop after it snowed. Parisians are going about their business with this iconic work as part of their personal landscape. (Photo: Ashley Banos) |
For
me, the astonishing thing wasn’t the fact that this was an amazing work of art
that I could see firsthand; what amazed me was the fact that it was something
that I just interacted with every day. I would round the corner of the street
and be like “oh, there’s the Metro Entrance designed by Hector Guimard in
1900.” When I presented on my artwork we didn’t even have to use our museum
passes or go through security! We literally just walked down the street of our
neighborhood and there it was, not behind a fence; it was just an iconic work
of art for everyone to use. I was so close to it I felt that I almost got
possessive over it: this was my Metro Entrance (but it would have been
difficult to try to take on the plane). The truth is, Parisians are insane
because they just get to live with these works that we as art history students
feel are so unattainable. For one week these works of art were very attainable.
 |
| My class in front of our local metro entrance: Mouton Duvernet (Photo: Mary B. Shepard) |
Sources
Consulted
Arwas,
Victor. Art Nouveau: The French Aesthetic. London, 2002
Delaney,
Arnold. Paris by Metro: An Underground History Northampton, 2006
Escritt,
Stephen. Art Nouveau. London, 2000
Gontar,
Cybele. "Art Nouveau," in Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History,
New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm
Greenhalgh,
Paul. “Teaching Art Nouveau: Hector Guimard,” Washington: National Gallery. http://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-packets/pdfs/Art-Nouveau-tp.pdf
Kahn Academy, “ Hector Guimard, Cité
entrance, Paris Métropolitain,”
n.a.
Audio discussion of Hector Guimard’s Metro Entrance. New York: Museum of Modern
Art, http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/audios/3/93
n.a.
“Entrance Gate to Paris Subway (Métropolitain) Station, Paris, France,” New
York: Museum of Modern Art. http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=2393
Vigne,
Georges. Hector Guimard: Architect Designer, 1867-1942. New York, 2003
Zycherman,
Lynda. “Restoring Guimard's Gate,” MoMA. vol. 2 (1999): 8-11
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