Almost any discussion of Art Nouveau in Paris starts with or veers off to the work of Hector Guimard, known nearly as well for his buildings as for his design of the early stations of the Metro.
29 Avenue Rapp, title and above, from 1901, is Lavirotte’s most flamboyant. It won the Paris annual facade competition. He also won in 1904 and 1907.
But just as in Barcelona, where a deeper look reveals Moderniste architects besides Gaudi, Paris has others, and one of the most interesting is Jules Lavirotte. Ironically, while both Lavirotte and Guimard are best-known for their work in Paris, both were born and educated in Lyon.
Their flamboyant work was both part of a broad movement that appeared across most of Europe, including especially in Brussels, Barcelona, Vienna, Riga and more and also represented a wave of freedom unleashed when Paris let go, in the 1880s, of Haussmann’s building rules that required flat facades and near uniformity.
I spent a couple of days last summer walking Paris streets to find the Art Nouveau gems that have survived; sadly quite a few disappeared during the years of neglect before they were ‘rediscovered’ in the 1960s. The Lavirotte buildings were among my real favorites.
Notice the bird, lizard and fruit motifs in the door fittings at 29 Avenue Rapp
Although Lavirotte designed fewer buildings than Guimard, they include some of the most beautiful and innovative. His really flamboyant and exuberant facades, in particular, make his work a real treat. Sadly, not much opportunity for his interiors; the buildings are occupied apartment buildings and a school.
Among the features of Lavirotte’s work is his use of ceramic tiles as part of the exteriors; he collaborated for years with Alexandre Bigot, a chemistry professor who imported new technology for making glazed earthenware tiles. In fact, one of his buildings ended up being called the Ceramic Hotel; the original name has long been lost.
Sadly, the original lobby is lost, as are the Art Nouveau hallways and doors..
At 12 rue Sédillot, Lavirotte designed this building as a private home for an obviously wealthy client in 1899. It’s had an interesting history since. By 1930, when it was bought by the Italian government it had been converted to apartments. Italy operated the ‘House of Italy’ there, promoting Italian culture and Mussolini’s regime until the French government shut it down when World War II started.
After the war, it was taken over by the French provisional government; in 1949, it was given back to the Italian government for its present use, an Italian language high school named for Leonardo da Vinci. That was part of a cultural treaty that also created the Lycée Français Chateaubriand in Rome.
A last touch of Lavirotte with another amazing doorway, at 151 rue de Grenelle, built in 1901.
I’ll continue my tour of Art Nouveau architecture next week with a look at the Paris work of Hector Guimard.
