Every city has its own unique subterranean transport system. London’s is characterised by the red and blue Underground roundel and colourful maps, Mexico City’s is where you’ll find the most impressive murals and Moscow undoubtedly has the most decadent stations.
But Paris’s métro system is up there, too, and its art nouveau, cast-iron entrances have become a recognisable symbol of the city. And now, the long-forgotten artist behind the designs will finally get a brand-new museum dedicated to his work, right in the heart of the French capital.
His name was Hector Guimard, and alongside the elaborate métro entrances, he designed many of the city’s art nouveau buildings in the early 1900s. It’s taken a century for his contribution to be recognised and put on display.
‘It may be surprising to foreign visitors but the French have never really liked art nouveau,’ said Fabien Choné, a collector and head of Hector Guimard Diffusion, which is involved in establishing a new museum, to the Guardian. ‘There was great opposition to Guimard’s Métro entrances. While visitors saw them as marvellous symbols of the Belle époque Métro, Parisians criticised it as what they called spaghetti style and couldn’t understand why tourists liked them.’
Recommended: This iconic Paris museum has just reopened after a mammoth restoration project.
Apparently, a critic of Guimard’s work described the green paint of the métro stations as ‘un-French’ and said the cursive lettering was ‘stupefying to foreigners’, and in the wave of modernism which completely dominated Europe in the post-war era, lots of his creations were declared without historic or artistic value and destroyed rather than preserved.
Of the 167 entrances Guimard designed, only 88 remain – so it’s about time for a museum to open in the artist’s honour.
The designs will be displayed in Hôtel Mezzara, a four-storey building in the city’s 16th arrondissement designed by Guimard back in 1910. After a €6 million refurb, it will open in 2027 and display a host of Guimard’s creations, from art nouveau decorations and furniture to archival documents and photographs.
Getting the approval to open this museum hasn’t been easy – in fact, Nicolas Horiot, architect and the president of Le Cercle Guimard (a body founded to save Guimard’s work) said it had been a 10-year battle with Paris authorities to get this artwork its long-overdue recognition.
‘We see this museum as repairing an injustice done to Guimard,’ said Horiot to the Guardian.
So, sounds like this could be a worthy addition to Paris’s packed roster of museums, eh? Stay tuned for more updates on when the museum will officially open.
Did you see that Europe’s best wine destinations in 2025 have been ranked?
Plus: The incredible 2,500-mile train tour of France launching in September.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.