Surprising Car Doors

A Surprise Find: the Serpentine and the Car Doors
Paris is full of surprises, and this one is great.
Le Passage Serpentine hosts the Passage d’Art Contemporain, a wonderful concept that’s been going for 2 years now. The winding corridor (hence the serpent name) that leads to the parking spaces in the Rennes parking garage (just off Blvd Montparnasse, behind the Montparnasse Tower) was changed from a gloomy bare space to a vibrant tunnel showcasing contemporary art.
The art is available, free, to anyone walking in the corridor, which gives more than 600 sq meters of exposition space, and is open daily 6:30am-1:30am.
On exhibit from 13 September to 24 November are Les Portières de Monsieur Pierre (The Doors of Mr. Pierre).
The iconic vehicle of France was the quirky little Citroën 2CV (‘deux chevaux’ or 2-horsepower car). You can see just how small they were here, as the front chassis fits over a large supermarket trolley! The car ceased production in 1990 but the “dedeuche or cadeuche”, as it was affectionately known, has become an art star. “Monsieur Pierre” (Pierre Tabone), a self-styled ‘garagiste’, enlisted contemporary artists to use the doors of dismantled 2CVs as their canvas, and the resulting works are on display in the Serpentine. All the doors are for sale, and the proceeds will go to the non-profit humanitarian organization Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger).
The 35-plus painted/decorated doors are a delight. They range from bright to somber, some pretty with flowers and butterflies, some linked to cars and travel, some with obvious messages (for example anti-war feelings), or with references to food/eating/hunger, like the one covered with eating utensils.

Address: 155 bis rue de Rennes (6th). There’s a parking garage sign at the entrance. Down a flight of stairs the corridor begins.
Metro: Montparnasse-Bienvenue. If you follow the Blvd. Montparnasse ‘sortie’ (exit) you come up on the boulevard by Place 18 Juin 1940, right by the start of rue Rennes.
***To see more cute pics of these painted doors, go to my Picasa Pics. To get back to Word Press, just use your Back Button.