True icons of the Paris metro, the Guimard entrances sprang from the imagination of a brilliant architect, Hector Guimard, who became a master of Art Nouveau.
Born on March 10, 1867, he studied at the École nationale des arts décoratifs in Paris while also attending the École nationale des beaux-arts. Hector Guimard challenged all the established conventions of Parisian architecture by designing entrance pavilions and surrounds with plant-like forms, skillfully exploiting the plastic qualities of cast iron.
He went on to create three types of entrances:
- Pavilions, true little monuments for places like Bastille and Étoile, though today only prized postcards remain for collectors;
- Fantastic pavilions, nicknamed 'Dragonflies,' with their overhanging canopies resembling the outstretched wings of insects. The beautiful example of the pavilion at the Porte Dauphine station is the only original one remaining today.
- For the more common stations, Hector Guimard designed cast iron surrounds twisted into contorted shapes, painted in a very distinctive green, and framed by the famous 'lily of the valley stems.' The bases of the surrounds, made from Comblanchien stone, are carved into rounded forms, and the posts resemble human femurs.
It’s worth highlighting the clever construction of these surrounds. They use a modular system that adapts to various entrance sizes thanks to escutcheons—cast iron elements that can be infinitely reproduced. These escutcheons, in which the letter M is inscribed, are held in place by a framework of metal bars.
A total of 167 Guimard metro entrances were created, of which 88 still exist today. Of these, 86 have been protected as Historic Monuments since 1978, and they have become symbols of Paris, transcending the identity of the metro itself.
Guimard entrances around the world
Some of these Guimard surrounds can now be found in various parts of the world. The oldest was gifted to the United States by the RATP in 1958 and is located in the garden of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Another original Guimard surround is also visible in the garden of the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
The lending of Guimard surrounds has sparked cultural synergies around the globe. Other Guimard surrounds or hoppers can be found, notably:
- At the Square-Victoria station in Montreal, since 1966. In 2011, the RATP received in return the artwork La Voix lactée by Geneviève Cadieux, installed at Saint-Lazare station.
- At the Picoas station in Lisbon, since 1995. In exchange, in 1995, the underground hall of the Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau station on metro line 1 was designed by Carlos Sanchez Jorge, architect of the Lisbon metro, featuring azulejos by Manuel Cargaleiro.
- At the Bellas Artes station in Mexico City, since 1998. In return, the Mexican mural El Pueblo Huichol was gifted in 1998 by STC, Mexico City's metro system. This mosaic by Santos de la Torre Santiago is installed at the entrance to the Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre station, leading to the Carrousel du Louvre.
- At the Van Buren Street station in Chicago, since 2003. In return, the stained glass artwork Day and Night by Judy Ledgerwood was gifted by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs in 2008 and installed at Bir-Hakeim station on metro line 6.
- At the Kievskaya station in Moscow, since 2008. In exchange, the artwork Ryaba the Hen by Ivan Loubennikov was installed in 2009 at the Madeleine station on metro line 14.
