Hector Guimard designed the famous Art Nouveau metro entrances of Paris.
The entrances were created for the newly developing Paris Métro around the turn of the 20th century. Guimard used cast iron, glass, and modular components to produce structures with sweeping curves and plant-like forms. Their green coloring and distinctive “Métropolitain” lettering made them recognizable symbols of Belle Époque Paris.
The Paris Métro opened in 1900 during the Exposition Universelle. Guimard was commissioned after a competition failed to produce a design the railway company wanted, and his work gave the underground system a unified visual identity above street level. His entrances came in several forms, including simple railings and larger covered édicules.
A common mix-up is assuming every historic Paris Métro entrance is by Guimard. Some entrances were designed by other architects or railway companies, and many original Guimard structures disappeared. Nevertheless, his surviving entrances remain among the most celebrated examples of public Art Nouveau design.