Origin and history
The metro entrance to the Bréguet-Sabin station, located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, was designed in 1900 by the architect Hector Guimard for the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP). This emblematic monument of the Art Nouveau style is distinguished by its cast iron structures, enamelled lava panels and ornamental candelabras, typical of the 167 entrances made by Guimard between 1900 and 1913. The Bréguet-Sabin station, inaugurated in 1906 on line 5, now retains two protected entourages at the Historic Monuments since 2016, witnesses to the aesthetic and technical audacity of their creator.
Hector Guimard, although not a winner of the initial competition organized by the CMP in 1899, was chosen for his innovative sketches and experience in Art Nouveau, especially after his success with Castel Béranger. Its entries, combining iron, glass and ceramics, broke with the proposals deemed too conventional by the other candidates. The various models – covered edicles, shielded entourages or cartridges – were standardized for production in series, but their organic style and colours (green, orange) were controversial, some seeing a break with traditional urban harmony.
The Guimard entrances, initially criticized for their aesthetics considered invasive or their association with German uniform, gradually became Parisian icons. As early as the 1960s, in the face of their massive disappearance (only 86 of the 167 originals remain today), they were protected and restored, like those of Bréguet-Sabin. Their design, inspired by vegetal forms and dynamic curves, influenced advertising art and urban furniture, while lastingly marking the visual identity of Paris.
The Bréguet-Sabin station illustrates the duality between innovation and tradition: its entourages, with their cast-iron "strands" and enamelled signs, symbolize the technical modernity of the Paris metro, while enrolling in the Art Nouveau heritage. The materials – enamelled lava of Volvic, cast iron of Val d'Osne – and the original colors, partially restored, reveal Guimard's attention for harmony between functionality and beauty. Today, these protected remains recall the golden age of the metro, between Belle Époque and architectural avant-garde.
The fate of the Guimard entrances reflects the hazards of artistic posterity. In 1913, the CMP abandoned its models in favour of more sober designs, such as those of Adolphe Dervals in the 1920s. For decades, the edicles were demolished or replaced, victims of oblivion or technical needs (enlargement of the hopper, creation of correspondences). Late protection, from 1965 onwards, saved in extremis of major pieces, including those of Bréguet-Sabin, while others went abroad (such as the entourage of Montparnasse, offered at the MoMA in New York).
Beyond their utilitarian role, the Guimard entrances became objects of cultural fascination. Their silhouette, taken over by painters (Eugène Galien-Laloue), filmmakers (Louis Malle in Zazie on the metro) or comic book authors (Jacques Tardi), embodies a mythical Paris. The candelabras, compared with dragonflies or mugue stems, and the orange verrines, evoking tears or fruits, stimulate the imagination. Today, the entourages of Bréguet-Sabin, restored according to the original techniques, perpetuate this dialogue between heritage and modernity, while recalling the genius of an architect who forever marked the Parisian landscape.
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