Palais Royal
Palais Royal used to be called Palais Cardinal because it was Cardinal de Richelieu’s Palace. It is now famous for the Buren Columns which were installed in 1986. At first, there was an public outcry against this work of Art which was deemed sacrilegious. Eventually, it became so successful that most people go to Palais Royal now to see the columns and not the Palais Royal itself. It’s not only ironic I believe, it is very symptomatic of how people react to change. Anything new is considered a no-no and then people get used to it and even grow to like it. For a detailed report on Buren’s columns including, check the Angloinfo report following this link.
Pictures of the Palais Royal, December 2012
7 Comments
They are a bit of a contrast with the setting in which they were installed 😉
Precisely! Hence the Hoohah when they were unveiled. But the contrast works really well in fact. There are so many of these 17th century buildings…
Personally I don’t like these as much as I like for example the glass pyramid of the Louvre, which I feel contrasts with the old architecture surrounding it in a much more fluid way…
It’s a matter of taste I believe. I quite like the columns and am not so much in love with the pyramid. Btw, don’t even try and take pictures in the pyramid. Last time I tried wardens almost shot me at close range.
Yes, most probably it is a matter of taste! And I guess the question then is how to handle this when you are a city planner/city architect. Which makes me quite relieved not to be one 😉 And I didn’t know about that–I took pictures… Thankfully I didn’t get shot!!!!
Lucky you. I had a tripod with me, that must be the reason why!
Duly noted. And glad you didn’t get in trouble!!!