News Article: Le Monde_25/10/1993: Painters of Bastille | DC25-20009
Dublin Core
Title
News Article: Le Monde_25/10/1993: Painters of Bastille | DC25-20009
Date
25/10/1993
Description
Newspaper Clipping
Language
French
Translated to English via google translate:
ARTS
THE PAINTERS OF THE BASTILLE
Since 1982, the artists have opened their studios to visitors
Amidst the general depression, the artists of the Aquartier de la Bastille, on the edge of the 11th and 12th arrondissements of Paris, are showing incredible energy. The tenth edition of their "open house" operation, which took place from October 8 to 11, was once again a surprising success. They estimate that more than 15,000 people entered their studios. "This personal, direct, and often warm contact with an audience that doesn't always dare to enter galleries gives us a new lease of life every year," explains the association's president, painter Henri Yeru. "For the younger among us, who have difficulty making themselves known and showing their creations, this gaze from amateurs is already a reward." >>> -
-et e S ko s s at le e Es
ar and -st of S, it n the e
in us the és .es ti-
The idea of opening his workplace to the public was born in 1982 in an interior courtyard on Rue de Charonne. Desperate to break through the wall of anonymity, five neighboring artists decided to put down their brushes for a few days and welcome their acquaintances and friends of their friends. Anyone could enter the studio, look around, and leave without even saying a word. This was the rule, which is still in effect today. The formula was taken up the following year, then expanded and organized by an "association for the dissemination and defense of contemporary art in the Bastille district," better known as "The Genius of the Bastille."
At the time, the neighborhood lived on the roguish reputation of the dances of rue de Lappe. But, occupying dilapidated craftsmen's shops, the artists were already numerous there. A few ventured to half-open their premises. Then, as success came, most agreed to play the game. The most well-known no longer need this publicity, but each year there are 15 to 20% newcomers. This year, sixty-seven studios, five galleries and two other exhibition spaces were accessible to the public.
In its adventure, the association obviously benefited from the spotlight brought to these narrow streets and their inhabitants by the construction of the new opera house. But in return, it allowed the curious and enthusiasts to wander into the alleyways, enter the courtyards, and climb the stairs. In short, this rediscovered Parisian terroir has become fashionable.
A kind of consecration
Galleries, shops, restaurants, and real estate agents all benefit from this. The Café de la Bastille, for example, has understood this well. Every year, it offers one of its premises free of charge so that the event organizers can open their information desk. The volunteers who are there must speak every language. Now, enthusiasts flock from various European countries to learn about current painting trends. One tour operator has even offered
the association to include the "open days" in one of its cultural trips through Paris.
Official institutions have been swept along by the success. The town hall of the 11th arrondissement, whose image has been ennobled by it, is supporting the association with a grant of 60,000 francs this year, but also by sending 10,000 programs and opening the festival hall to the works of young sculptors. The Opéra-Bastille, which until then had superbly ignored the association, itself asked this time to participate in the celebration. For a day, but no longer, selected canvases were exhibited in one of the rooms of the monumental establishment. A sort of consecration for those who were admitted. The technique of the workshops
"Open doors" has been widely adopted, not to say plagiarized. But the "geniuses of the Bastille" want to stay ahead of the curve by continuing to innovate. Their obsession: above all, not to become trapped in a sort of neighborhood folklore or cultural ghetto. This is why, during the annual event, each "local" artist is required to invite a colleague living elsewhere in Paris to hang their works alongside their own. Last year, the Bastille artists brought painters from Amsterdam. Next year, they hope to welcome Japanese artists, and the year after that, Polish artists. They are also seeking to establish an exchange system with the regions. Some Parisians would exhibit at the homes of their provincial colleagues and then welcome them back. Constantly bustling with new projects, the Bastille district is becoming a sort of vast, fragmented gallery where all the facets of contemporary visual art come to sparkle in turn. It thus maintains, in an original way, the great tradition of the capital.
M. A.-R.
Translated to English via google translate:
ARTS
THE PAINTERS OF THE BASTILLE
Since 1982, the artists have opened their studios to visitors
Amidst the general depression, the artists of the Aquartier de la Bastille, on the edge of the 11th and 12th arrondissements of Paris, are showing incredible energy. The tenth edition of their "open house" operation, which took place from October 8 to 11, was once again a surprising success. They estimate that more than 15,000 people entered their studios. "This personal, direct, and often warm contact with an audience that doesn't always dare to enter galleries gives us a new lease of life every year," explains the association's president, painter Henri Yeru. "For the younger among us, who have difficulty making themselves known and showing their creations, this gaze from amateurs is already a reward." >>> -
-et e S ko s s at le e Es
ar and -st of S, it n the e
in us the és .es ti-
The idea of opening his workplace to the public was born in 1982 in an interior courtyard on Rue de Charonne. Desperate to break through the wall of anonymity, five neighboring artists decided to put down their brushes for a few days and welcome their acquaintances and friends of their friends. Anyone could enter the studio, look around, and leave without even saying a word. This was the rule, which is still in effect today. The formula was taken up the following year, then expanded and organized by an "association for the dissemination and defense of contemporary art in the Bastille district," better known as "The Genius of the Bastille."
At the time, the neighborhood lived on the roguish reputation of the dances of rue de Lappe. But, occupying dilapidated craftsmen's shops, the artists were already numerous there. A few ventured to half-open their premises. Then, as success came, most agreed to play the game. The most well-known no longer need this publicity, but each year there are 15 to 20% newcomers. This year, sixty-seven studios, five galleries and two other exhibition spaces were accessible to the public.
In its adventure, the association obviously benefited from the spotlight brought to these narrow streets and their inhabitants by the construction of the new opera house. But in return, it allowed the curious and enthusiasts to wander into the alleyways, enter the courtyards, and climb the stairs. In short, this rediscovered Parisian terroir has become fashionable.
A kind of consecration
Galleries, shops, restaurants, and real estate agents all benefit from this. The Café de la Bastille, for example, has understood this well. Every year, it offers one of its premises free of charge so that the event organizers can open their information desk. The volunteers who are there must speak every language. Now, enthusiasts flock from various European countries to learn about current painting trends. One tour operator has even offered
the association to include the "open days" in one of its cultural trips through Paris.
Official institutions have been swept along by the success. The town hall of the 11th arrondissement, whose image has been ennobled by it, is supporting the association with a grant of 60,000 francs this year, but also by sending 10,000 programs and opening the festival hall to the works of young sculptors. The Opéra-Bastille, which until then had superbly ignored the association, itself asked this time to participate in the celebration. For a day, but no longer, selected canvases were exhibited in one of the rooms of the monumental establishment. A sort of consecration for those who were admitted. The technique of the workshops
"Open doors" has been widely adopted, not to say plagiarized. But the "geniuses of the Bastille" want to stay ahead of the curve by continuing to innovate. Their obsession: above all, not to become trapped in a sort of neighborhood folklore or cultural ghetto. This is why, during the annual event, each "local" artist is required to invite a colleague living elsewhere in Paris to hang their works alongside their own. Last year, the Bastille artists brought painters from Amsterdam. Next year, they hope to welcome Japanese artists, and the year after that, Polish artists. They are also seeking to establish an exchange system with the regions. Some Parisians would exhibit at the homes of their provincial colleagues and then welcome them back. Constantly bustling with new projects, the Bastille district is becoming a sort of vast, fragmented gallery where all the facets of contemporary visual art come to sparkle in turn. It thus maintains, in an original way, the great tradition of the capital.
M. A.-R.
Identifier
DC25-20009
Document Item Type Metadata
Storage Location
Bakakeng Norte, Baguio City
Recorded By
JD Juan
Date Recorded
3/14/2025
Catalogue Number
DC25-20009
Collection
Citation
“News Article: Le Monde_25/10/1993: Painters of Bastille | DC25-20009,” Elisa Tan Art Database, accessed October 21, 2026, https://www.elisatan.philippinestudies.org/items/show/694.
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