Metro sign by Hector

Metro sign by Hector Guimard, Palais-Royal - Musée du LouvreHECTOR GUIMARD:Hector Guimard’s distinctive designs arewell known - even if his name isn’t. Hissignature work, the Paris Métro entrances,are classic examples of Art Nouveau,characterized by their elegant flowing lines,floral ornamentation, geometric forms, andmythical symbolism, taking inspiration fromnature. From the 1880s to the start of WorldWar I, Art Nouveau flourished. But, who wasthe man behind these marvellous souvenirs ofa bygone age?Hector Guimard – theforgotten architectHector-GermainGuimard was born inLyon in March 1867.He left home aged just13 to move Paris andat 15 years old wasaccepted at the ÉcoleNationale Supérieuredes Arts Décoratifs,the national schoolHector-Guimard (1907) wikimediafor decorative arts inthe city. Right from the start, he was a starstudent, winning medals, competitions anda place at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, then the foremost architecture school inthe world. A travel scholarship enabled himto go to England where he toured workshopsof eclectic designer William Morris who ledthe Arts and Crafts movement, a style thatThe term “Art Nouveau,” theNew Art, was actually coined inBelgium by the periodical L’ArtModerne to describe the workof the artist group Les Vingt (the20), a group of reform-mindedsculptors, designers and painters.opposed growing industrialization and the riseof factory mass production at the expense oftraditional craftsmanship.Guimard also fell in love with the workof British illustrator and engraver AubreyBeardsley whose designs depended heavily onthe expressive quality of the organic line. BothMorris and Beardsley influenced Guimard’sdeveloping style and the Art Nouveaumovement in its entirety.Aged 21, Guimard began independentpractice with a small commission for anoutdoor café in Paris. The following yearhe was awarded the contract to design thePalace of Electricity, at the 1889 ExpositionUniverselle in Paris, where the star of themoment was one Gustave Eiffel and his tower.But it was in the mid 1890s that Guimardreally started to embrace Art Nouveau afterdiscovering the work of Belgian architectsand early pioneers of Art Nouveau style, PaulHankar, and Victor Horta who’s astonishinglybeautiful Hotel Tassel in Brussels, built in 1893,French Art NouveauPioneerParis is a city of legendary landmarks but surely some of the most memorable andcherished icons are the colourful Metro signs. Sue Aran reveals the story of thedesigner behind the much-loved signposts…Façade of Maison Coillot, Lille © Zairon — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org70 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 71