When people dub Paris “the city of art”, they are not joking. Here in the heart of Paris, squatting has eventually become an art thing. Yep, 59 Rivoli was originally an abandoned building back in 1989. It belonged to Crédit Lyonnais, but the French bank abandoned it. When finding accommodation in Paris was not an easy task (it still isn’t!!), unsurprisingly, this empty building attracted people to squat in … only they were artists. Illegal as they were, the local government had the open-mindedness to allow and support them. That’s how 59 Rivoli has become what it is today.
CONVERTING TO A MUSEUM
The building had already been empty for over 10 years. In 1999, a few artists decided to make their own workshops out of it. The idea was to make the workshops accessible to the public, to take art to the streets, because art should not only belong in fancy galleries or any Fine Arts institutions. Over time, more and more artists opened their workshops and some even lived in the building. In 2005, the Mairie de Paris decided to buy the building and convert it to a legal art museum. The building was closed for renovation for 3 years. In 2009, it finally reopened to the public, marking the beginning of the era of 59 Rivoli.
Today
Roaming around the 1st arrondissement of Paris, you may not notice the humble artistic icon. But when you step in, the multi-coloured spiral staircase and murals are certainly hard to miss. Nowadays, 30 artists have opened their workshops in this 6-story building. 20 of them are permanent residents; the rest get to exhibit their works for a period of 3 to 6 months. The best thing is that, for visitors like us, we get to see how works of art are made in the process. We can just go in, discover, and exchange with the artists. The entrance is free.
59 Rivoli is not a typical museum or gallery that you see on the streets, so it also offers you an atypical cultural experience. There, each and every space is decorated with paintings, sculptures, and graffiti etc. It is this playful vibe that you feel you are more relaxed and prone to express freely. If you think visiting an art museum is boring, visit this!
P.s. if art is what you love, here is also our Impressionist day in the Musée d'Orsay :)