Hector Guimard

Born: 10 March 1867, in Lyon, France
Died: 20 May 1942, in New York

One of the best-known modern French architects, Hector Guimard was a leading exponent of the Art Nouveau style, of which his metro entrances are iconic images.

Guimard studied at the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs and the École des Beaux-Arts before establishing his own practice. Although his early works were conventional, he soon fell under the influence of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's new ideas and Victor Horta's sinuous architecture, and produced exceptional avant-garde work around the turn of the century, helping to define Art Nouveau in France and remaining faithful to it even as it fell out of fashion. His metro entrances are among his most influential works, and their style came to be called the style métro or style Guimard.

He emigrated to the United States to escape World War II and died in New York. Sadly, many of his metro entrances were dismantled, including the most spectacular ones, but all his remaining ones have since been listed as historic monuments.

Works:

In the metro:
Portico Square-Victoria station

Other works:

• Outside Quebec:
Porticos 58 metro stations, Paris
Reproduced porticos Chicago; Lisbon; Mexico City
Immeuble Agar Rue Agar, Paris
Café Guimard Rue La Fontaine, Paris
Atelier Carpeaux Boulevard Exelmans, Paris
Castel Béranger Rue La Fontaine, Paris
Hôtel Deron Levant Rue Jouvenet, Paris
Villa Flore (Hôtel Guimard) Avenue Mozart, Paris
Immeuble Gros Rue Gros, Paris
Immeuble Jassède Rue Lancret, Paris
Hôtel Mezzara Rue Lafontaine, Paris
Immeubles de Rapport Rue Greuze and Rue Henri-Heine Paris
Synagogue Rue Pavée, Paris
Immeuble Trémois Rue François-Millet, Paris

External Links:

  • Paris Inconnu — Les édicules Guimard (in French)
  • Le Cercle Guimard (in French)
  • Hector Guimard — greatbuildings.com
  • Hector Guimard — Wikipedia