Art Nouveau Spectacle: Castel Béranger

Hector Guimard is the 16th Arrondissement's Art Nouveau standard bearer. Before he designed Paris' iconic metro station entrances, he made his bones in the 16th in 1898 with the Castel Béranger on Rue de la Fontaine (named for Jean de la Fontaine, he of the Fables). This was the first Art Nouveau apartment building in Paris, and was awarded a prize for most beautiful building façade the year it was completed.

The street and side entrances of Castel Béranger.




Strange faces, creatures, and creepy cats adorn the façade.


Contrary to local legend, the decorative cats do not in fact come alive.

There are several other Guimard buildings around the 16th. They all have the curved ornamental details that became his stylistic signature--but none capture the wild grandeur of the Castel Béranger. But as with most things in Paris, they are best appreciated by stepping a bit closer and lingering a bit. The entirety of Rue Agar is almost one continuous Guimard-designed building. Note that for Guimard, even the downspouts deserve a bit of nouveau flair.








Comments

  1. Eric MendelsonMarch 15, 2023 at 3:08 AM

    I knew of Guimard from the entrances to the Metro. I'd never heard of, or seen this building. Thanks for posting.

    ReplyDelete

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