Entrance Gate to Paris Subway (Métropolitain) Station, Paris, France
Hector Guimard
French, 1867–1942
c. 1900
An Art Nouveau subway entrance designed by Hector Guimard around 1900, crafted in painted cast iron with glazed lava and glass to mark and beautify Paris’s new Métropolitain stations.
The eye is caught by sinuous, plant-like iron arches that curve up into bulbous lamp “flowers” and support a pale green, hand-lettered METROPOLITAIN sign whose flowing lines contrast with the rectilinear buildings beyond.
This gate made modern urban infrastructure visible and poetic, demonstrating how industrial materials and mass transit could be given organic ornament and helping define the visual identity of Paris and the Art Nouveau movement.
Medium
Painted cast iron, glazed lava, and glass
Dimensions
13' 11" x 17' 10" x 32" (424.2 x 543.6 x 81.3 cm)
Each vertical stanchion: 1040 lbs. Horizontal component: 460 lbs. Glazed lava sign: 100 lbs.
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
Accession
177.1958.a-f
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
