Metro Magic: Art and Transit Merge at Louvre-Rivoli

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Metro Magic: Art and Transit Merge at Louvre-Rivoli
This is the third in a monthly series of stories about the wonders of the Paris Metro System. Where can we go to feed our art- and culture-loving souls? The museums in Paris are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions (although there is hope for reopening in the not-too-distant future). In the meantime, we might seek out online exhibits, outdoor installations, and Zoom lectures offered by experts around the world. One of the paths less traveled is just to linger in metro stations. A little mole-like? Too creepy? A bit seamy? Not really. There are several culturally rewarding stations in Paris. Desperately seeking culture. Photo © Meredith Mullins. This month’s metro focus is Louvre-Rivoli on Line 1 — the first metro station designed with a cultural theme and one of the stations worthy of spending quality time. A mini-Louvre. Photo © Meredith Mullins. Opened in 1900, the Louvre-Rivoli station unveils a mini-Louvre (really a mini-mini-mini Louvre, since the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world). In the short walk down the westbound quay (toward La Défense) and the eastbound quay (toward Château de Vincennes), you’ll travel the art world — from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to the cathedrals of 13th–18th century France to the struggles of the French revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Une Mère et Sa Fille (fragment from a Greek stele “The Exaltation of the Flower” (circa 470–460 BC). Photo © Meredith Mullins You’ll meet ancient princes, scribes, and athletes, as well as goddesses, virgins, and royalty. The parade of personalities is presented in replicas of statues cast in stone, marble, alabaster, and porcelain — all in a dramatically-lit space, refreshingly free of advertising.
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Lead photo credit : Art and Transit Merge at Louvre-Rivoli. © Meredith Mullins

More in Art, culture, Exhibitions, Metro, Metro magic, Paris

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Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited fine art photographer and instructor based in Paris. Her work is held in private and museum collections in Europe and the U.S. and can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book "In A Paris Moment." (If you’re in Paris, a few rare, signed copies are available at Shakespeare and Company and Red Wheelbarrow.) She is a writer for OIC Moments and other travel and education publications.

Comments

  • Nicole Cartier
    2021-06-10 07:12:56
    Nicole Cartier
    I am a new member and am enchanted by your presentation of the Louvre Metro Exhibit. I plan to visit France again next year and will keep in thought visiting this area.

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