Do you think the Buren Columns are just a perfect backdrop for photos?
Behind this iconic installation lies one of the biggest artistic controversies Paris has ever experienced.
In the early 1980s, the courtyard of the Palais-Royal looked nothing like it does today. It was simply used as a parking lot reserved for high-ranking civil servants.
In 1984, President François Mitterrand and his Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, decided to transform this uninspiring space. An artistic competition was launched to bring it back to life.
The selected project, created by Daniel Buren, was bold: 260 black-and-white striped columns of varying heights, completely reimagining the courtyard and its architecture.
But controversy quickly erupted.
From the very start of construction in 1985, many Parisians were outraged. The installation was seen as provocative, visually aggressive, and even as an attack on a historic site.
The debate soon turned into a political battle. A fierce conflict opposed Jack Lang and Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris, who strongly resisted the project. Construction was even halted midway, and some called for the complete removal of the work.
Despite the tensions and criticism, the columns were finally completed in 1986.
Today, the Buren Columns have become an integral part of the space. What was once a parking lot has been transformed into a vibrant public area—now one of the most photographed and visited spots in Paris.
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