Welcome to 59 Rivoli, an artistic squat in the heart of Paris!

Discover a museum of art not like the others, located in a building on Rue Rivoli in Paris, where artists squat at the year this unusual place!

In the 1st arrondissement of Paris, at 59 rue Rivoli more precisely, stands proudly one of the most important and charismatic artistic squats of the capital. Soberly nicknamed the "59 Rivoli", this den for artists of all kinds is quickly recognizable by its exterior façade with a wall decor that changes with the moods and desires of its occupants.

Between the daily brouha of Parisians and this constant walk of tourists who go and come on the stairs, walking sometimes without looking at the multicolored marches, artists wait for you to come to discover them.

Reappropriation of places

At the beginning, the artistic squat of 59 Rivoli was far from what it is today. It all began in 1989 when the building, which belonged to Crédit Lyonnais, was left to abandon. At the time, only a few artists actually came to squatter this building and were already doing workshops.

Accommodation in Paris was already very difficult in itself so having its own workshop was under the exploit. As of November 1, 1999, the idea was to squatter this empty building to make workshops accessible to the general public in order to desacralize the art, to bring it down to the street, to show that the art is not only happening in galleries, varnishes or in institutions recognized as the Fine Arts.

The era of "59 Rivoli" began thus.

What about today?

Today, 30 artists reside on the “59 Rivoli”: they work there and also exhibit up to the 6th floor. There are 20 permanent artists and 10 artists in residence, for a period of 3 to 6 months. There are regular exhibitions every two weeks in one of the main galleries of the building, but it is often collectives of artists who come to invest it.

Each weekend, the gallery offers unique concerts and events and twice a year, the 59 Rivoli organizes a musical festival that lasts three days and emancipates at all levels of the building.

The advantage of the “59 Rivoli” lies in the fact that there is no judgment, no competition. Here, everyone expresses himself as he feels, each one exposes without fear of the inquisitor or jealous look of his neighbour. And all the public are concerned: there can be a well-known artist on the national or international scene as the first-year student looking to perform his first exhibition.

A museum much more than free

We are talking about “music” because we find a multitude of works of art, paintings, sculptures, events and artistic happenings but the “59 Rivoli” is much more than that. It is a real residence for artists that everyone can come to visit and discover, and a place in which one can actually exchange with the artists.

It is also a creative centre for young talents or confirmed talents where admission is free.

How can I go?

Go down to Châtelet Metro and don’t miss any exhibition, the “59 Rivoli” is a living place where art lives from inside. The art squa(r)t par excellence! It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 1pm to 8pm.