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Paris Metro

Hector Guimard (French, 1867-1942) was an architect known for advancing the Art Nouveau movement towards the end of the nineteenth century.    

in the late 1890s, Paris was in the process of establishing an underground transportation system to prepare for the Paris Exposition of 1900, and the Compagnie du Metropolitan sponsored a competition to design the system’s entrance gates. Guimard won the commission (although he never formally entered the competition) with his avant-garde designs using standardized cast iron components, making for easy fabrication and assembly on-site.   The gates have been described as having sinuous, organic lines with stylized, giant stalks drooping under the weight of what seem to be swollen tropical flowers (Museum of Modern Art).  These flowers are amber glass lamps, which are well known elements in Art Nouveau design.

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Arc de Triomphe - Paris

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris, France that stands in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the “Place de l’Étoile”. It is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, and it honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I.

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