A Few Parisians: Palais Royal

The ‘Colonnes de Buren‘ (Buren’s Columns), you know them without really knowing them, when you live in Paris. They are part of our urban landscape. You pass them without necessarily paying attention when you reach the Jardins du Palais Royal or when you run to attend a play at the Comédie Française. Who even knows that this architectural assemblage was originally called ‘Les Deux Plateaux’?

Gone are the days when these 260 black and white marble columns made a scandal! Today, all those who linger a little in this quiet courtyard seem to have completely appropriated this artwork of Daniel Buren.

A bit like ‘human graffiti’, there are those who use the lower columns as a temporary headquarters, those taking poses on the highest of them for a souvenir photo, or children who play hide-and-seek between the marble trunks.

A place so eminently cultural (the Ministry of Culture also adjoins the columns) where you can see children who play and laugh cannot be such a bad place.

Get in touch with the author/illustrator at @David_Cessac and on Facebook, and check out his website. Check back soon for the next installation in the column A Few Parisians. This illustration is available as a print, iPhone case, t-shirt and more on The Untapped Shop.