Street art is thriving in Paris, attracting the biggest names in the world, including Shepard Fairey, creator of the famous HOPE poster of Obama and founder of Obey clothing.

In December 2020, one of his huge works (at least 6 storeys high) which is not far from our hotels, was vandalised apparently as part of a protest at some freedom-limiting laws being passed by the French government.

Fairey has just been through Paris to restore the giant work, adding a tear to Marianne, the symbol of France, to show that #Mariannepleure (Marianne is crying).

If you are a fan of street art, you are going to be so happy in Paris! A lot of famous street artists are either from the city, or have used it liberally as their canvas.

For example, this is where Space Invader first started, before going on to conquer the world. His biggest work anywhere can be found in Paris, on place Stravinsky (here), just next to another huge painting by… Shepard Fairey!

In a new video, Fairey explains why he returned to Paris to restore and modify his piece depicting Marianne, saying that he understands the motivation behind its defacement.

The artist and his Paris gallery put on sale 650 copies of a limited edition poster of the this new version of the work, and they sold out almost immediately. The money is going to Amnesty International.

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Une publication partagée par Shepard Fairey (@obeygiant)

If you go and see the new Marianne, you should know that two other Fairey works are just a couple of minutes away from it, on rue Jeanne d’Arc (at n° 60 and n° 95).

And for more information about the street art you can see on the Left Bank, close to our hotels, a new book has been published with explanations of each work and a map so you can find them easily.

The book’s called Boulevard Paris 13 and you can get it here at amazon.fr (95 pages, 49€).

Shepard Fairey’s Marianne can be found here.

What3Words ///minority.chatted.ejects

The other works by Shepard Fairey are here…

What3Words ///smug.larger.bearings

… and here

What3Words ///sushi.partied.every

And his work on the Right Bank is next to a giant Space Invader here.

What3Words ///shakes.shut.sour