26.10.15

Place de la Concorde looked different...


Place de la Concorde looks a bit different at the moment. Some “cubes” have been added. They will be there until the end of the month.

The French company “Saint Gobain”, originally a mirror manufacturer – in competition with Venice - has chosen this way to celebrate its 350th anniversary. Under its original name of “Manufacture Royale de Glaces et Miroirs” (Royal glass-mill factory) the company produced e.g. the glass and mirrors for the Hall of Mirrors at the Versailles Palace (see previous posts). I’m not going to tell the long history of the company, only to say that today it employs some 200,000 people worldwide in a product range which includes construction and packaging products as well as different innovating materials. This is what Saint Gobain wants to show by these different pavilions, going under the names Colour, Look, Create and Listen. If you were willing to queue up you could go inside. The exhibition is on a worldwide tour.



The installation also included special light and framing of one of the fountains (see previous posts about Place de la Concorde here).

A special pavilion gave short explanations regarding the company.

Before leaving Place de la Concorde, I had a brief look at the Tuileries Gardens (see previous posts here), its (partly) square trees and the Jean Dubuffet sculpture – “Le bel costumé”.

Once on Place de la Concorde I could not avoid walking up the lower part of the Champs Elysées (see previous posts here). The yearly exhibition of contemporary art (FIAC – “Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporaine”) took place last weekend. The main place for the exhibition is the “Grand Palais” (see previous posts here)…



… but it also occupies “tents” along the Champs Elysées. Too late this year, but if you want to buy a Picasso, Miro, Basquiat… this is the place to go. 

7 comments:

Gunn said...

What a nice posting!
A real WOW effect in this.

So interesting and so beautiful!

Happy new week to you.

( Fra meg som drikker morgenkaffe og surfer her ved frokost bordet.)

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Wow Peter ..yet again you find something else fascinating to share with us. Fabulous concept ..and Fab Paris has done it again.if only I could live there. Thank you for sharing. Your photos are brilliant. Thank you for sharing ..take care Anne.

Studio at the Farm said...

Wonderful photos, Peter - thank you! So much to see on the Place de la Concorde and Champs Elysees. Paris certainly knows now to "dress up" at night :)
Kathryn

martinealison said...

Bonjour cher Peter,

Je suis heureuse de découvrir cette exposition temporaire. Je serai à Paris en Novembre si tout va bien... Je suppose que l'exposition sera terminée.
Très jolies photos que je prends plaisir à admirer.

Gros bisous ✺ ♡ ✺

Jeanie said...

Fun and fascinating, Peter!

Anonymous said...


I love your photos! I also love the heavenly city your photos show!
Thank you, M. Peter for sharing this celebration with us.
Maria O. Russell

claude said...

Pas mal du tout mais heureusement que ce n'est que temporaire.