The beauty of Street Art is that it is found everywhere, even when you least expect it. In this article we take you to discover a special place in one of the most fascinating cities in Europe, Paris.
In the Beaubourg district a few steps from the Center Pompidou is Place Igor Stravinsky, famous for its colorful and funny fountain, the Fontaine des Automates. In this place, you can breathe street art everywhere, just look behind the fountain to see the walls of three of the greatest street artists in the world: Shepard Fairey, Invader and Jef Aérosol.
Street Art Paris- Jef Aérosol
The first wall created in the square is Chuutt by Jef Aérosol. A 350m² black and white fresco in which the only colored element is the red arrow, the artist’s signature. The work represents a man with his finger over his mouth suggesting silence “Shhh!“.
“This gesture is my way of saying listen to each other and stop for five minutes, listen to things you don’t usually hear. The city is not just the sound of police sirens and engines. It is also the cry of children, the singing birds and the melody of foreign languages, the languages of the many tourists visiting the Center Pompidou”. – Jef Aerosol
Is this character that reminds us of Salvador Dalì a self-portrait of Jef? Yes, according to some.
Knowledge + Action di Shepard Fairey- Obey Giant
Shepard Fairey – Obey Giant – also left his mark on the square with Knowledge + Action, a blue-toned wall inspired by Art Nouveau.
As with many of Obey‘s works, the message is political: “The future is unwritten” and “knowledge and action make power“.
“Apathy and ignorance have promoted a decline in civility and quality of civic engagement, giving rise to the forces that promote fear, division and nationalism. We need to understand the importance of both educating ourselves and taking action as we shape the future“- Shepard Fairey.
Space Invaders- Invader
The wonders of Place Igor Stravinsky do not end here! Alongside Jef Aérosol and Shepard Fairey, there is the largest Invader mosaic, one of the most popular and famous street artists in the world!
In addition to this large wall, his Space Invaders invaded the neighborhood.
Centre Pompidou, a stolen mouse- Banksy
In Beaubourg, the best-known name of street art could not be missing: Banksy! The street artist created a mouse with its face hidden by a bandana and a cutter between its paws at the Centre Pompidou, a tribute to the Parisian student protests of 1968. The work, that was on a panel about three meters high and signaled the access to the museum car park, was stolen in 2019 and never found again.
