A mural outside the pavillon Carré Baudouin. Photos by Liz Webber.

By Liz Webber in Paris—

When someone mentions “Paris” and “art,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The Mona Lisa? The Musée d’Orsay? Maybe if you’re really forward-thinking it will be one of the more modern exhibits at the Pompidou Center.

Yet, for almost 40 years Parisian artists have been taking their work to the streets – literally. In some neighborhoods it’s not unusual to find elaborate murals on the sides of otherwise ordinary buildings. To discover these modern masterpieces for yourself, the Mairie of the 20th is currently hosting an exposition and walking tour to celebrate three masters of “urban art.”

It’s not graffitti – it’s art

For the first part of the street art tribute, the Mairie has organized an expo at the pavillon Carré Baudouin, a former country mansion converted into an exhibition space. There you can find recent works by three well-known artists, all of whom got their start in the 20th in the 1980s.

The first artist is Jérôme Mesnager, known for his flowing white silhouettes. Mosko and associates, a team composed of Michel Allemand and Gérard Laux, specialize in colorful paintings of exotic animals. Finally, there’s Nemo, whose work is characterized by an ever-present “man in black.”

The three artists created a new mural especially for the exhibit, on display in front of the pavillon on Rue de Ménilmontant (see photo above). The expo also features photographs of street paintings outside the 20th (by Gérard Faure) and short documentaries on the artists at work.

The exhibit runs now through August 29. The pavillon is located at 121 Rue de Ménilmontant. Opening hours are 11 AM to 6 PM Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

Finding Nemo (and Mesnager and Mosko and associates)

Street art by Mosko and associates.

The suggested walking tour that the Mairie has assembled is actually better than the exhibit. It gives onlookers the chance to see street art in its native environment, so to speak, and also takes the wanderer on an eye-opening path of the Arrondissement.

As you discover a colorful giraffe by Mosko and associates nestled between two shops or a chain of Mesnager’s outlines looped around a building, you’ll climb up and down stairs and travel through tiny “passages” via the back streets of the 20th. Sadly some of the artworks have been marred by graffiti or papered over with posters, but the original paintings are still visible if you know where to look.

Pick up a copy of the walking tour map at the Pavilion Carré de Baudouin or download it from the Mairie’s web site. The entire circuit takes about an hour and a half.

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A section of the East Side Gallery in Berlin. Photos by Campru.

Berlin—Critic and curator Emilie Trice writes, “Berlin is the graffiti mecca of the urban art world.” And a recent New York Times article confirms Trice’s assertion with the observation that “The city’s skyline might be defined by a Sputnik-era TV tower, bombed-out churches and the ghost of a certain wall that once split the German capital. But its streetscape is largely molded by graffiti.”

It is therefore unsurprising that the city’s art landscape includes a number of galleries exclusively showing street art. Overkill Shop, Circle Culture, and Intoxicated Demons are a few choice examples of galleries specializing in bringing street art inside. And recent super-successful shows by celebrated local street artists such as EVOL and Jaybo Aka Monk demonstrate the commercial viability of street art for international collectors.

A graffiti guide

Street art in Berlin.

But for everyone interested in just appreciating the work in its natural habitat, there is a new book by graphic designer Benjamin Wolbergs, “Urban Illustration Berlin: Street Art Cityguide.” The book makes the perfect guide for a walking tour through Berlin’s outdoor street art scene.

Written in both German and English, the book offers exclusive interviews with seventeen of the elusive artists. Wolbergs does not limit his focus to spray paint. Instead, he gives attention to the rich range of stencils, cutouts, markers and wheatpaste works across the city.

Wolbergs’ stunning street photography in “Urban Illustration Berlin: Street Art Cityguide,” along with the interviews’ insight into the artists’ working techniques, motives, and philosophies on street art, make the book a valuable purchase, regardless of whether one is planning a visit to Berlin.

A self-guided graffiti walking tour

However, the book’s real treasure is a tear-out city map detailing the locations of 500 iconic and admired instances of Berlin’s street art featured in the book. Tear it out and take yourself on a walking tour.

Street art is fragile. And a few of the works Wolbergs spotlighted no longer exist. But the neighborhoods remain active areas for street artists and well worth visiting for anyone interested in the origins of Berlin’s vibrant international art scene.

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