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Origin and history

The Botzaris metro entrance, located in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, is one of the emblematic creations of the architect Hector Guimard for the Parisian metropolitan network. Designed in 1900 as part of an urgent order for the Universal Exhibition of the same year, this entry illustrates the Art Nouveau style by its use of curves inspired by the plant, mixing iron, cast iron, glass and enamelled lava. Guimard, although not a winner of the initial competition, was chosen for his innovative and modular approach, allowing a series production adaptable to urban constraints.

The Guimard metro entrances, including that of Botzaris, were realized in a context of rapid modernization of Paris. The Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP) sought to provide the city with an underground network before the Universal Exhibition of 1900, symbol of technical and aesthetic progress. Guimard proposed standardized models, such as covered edicles or simple balustrade entourages, whose candelabras and carved cast iron signs became icons of the Parisian landscape. Despite conflicts with the CMP, particularly over costs and artistic property, his creations were installed until 1913.

The entrance of Botzaris, like other works by Guimard, was threatened with destruction in the 20th century because of the decline of Art Nouveau and expensive maintenance needs. However, from the 1960s onwards, an awareness of heritage led to the protection and restoration of these monuments. The entourage of Botzaris, registered at the Historic Monuments in 2016, today bears witness to this rehabilitation. Its characteristic elements — cast iron balustrades, openwork and candelabras in the shape of 'brins de muguet' — make it a preserved example of the Guimard aesthetic, mixing urban functionality and artistic audacity.

The materials used for this entry reflect the technical innovations of the time: the cast iron, produced by the Fonderie d'art du Val d'Osne, allowed a series reproduction of the organic motifs dear to Guimard, while the enamelled lava, supplied by Eugène Gillet, offered resistant coloured panels. The orange verrines, made by Pantin's crystallary, and the enamelled plate signs completed this set, where every detail was designed to harmonize structure and decor. Despite the initial criticisms — some of them seeing a 'noodle style' or too fancy aesthetic — these entries became inseparable from the visual identity of Paris.

The posterity of the Botzaris entrance is part of a wider movement of rediscovery of Art Nouveau. After decades of neglect, where many of the edicles were demolished or replaced by Art Deco models, the 1970s marked a turning point with restoration campaigns. The RATP, in collaboration with the Historic Monuments, undertook to give back to these works their original colours and materials, as evidenced by the renovation of the entourage of Botzaris. Today, this entrance, with its fluid lines and stylized plant motifs, embodies both the heritage of Guimard and the Belle Époque, a period when Paris was transformed into a modern capital.

Beyond its functional role, the Botzaris entrance takes part in a broader symbolism, that of a changing Paris at the dawn of the twentieth century. Guimard's organic forms, often interpreted as references to nature (bellulas, muguettes, insect shells), contrast with the industrial rationalism of the metro. This balance between art and technique, dear to Art Nouveau, made metro entrances to objects of fascination, taken up in painting, literature and even cinema. The entry of Botzaris, through its preservation, thus offers a tangible testimony of this time when art was invited in the urban daily.

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