Paris - Guy-Pierre Bennet

Large palaces, boulevards stretching out of view, gilded domes, the gentle flow of the Seine, lively bistrots: many cities have seen their beauty fade and almost concealed by the inexorable march of time, but Paris has conserved its magnificent treasures of the past intact, preserving them with pride, whilst contemporaneously remaining in the forefront of modern culture. Thus, the great works of the imperial era are flanked by monuments of the modern age. The city has never spared expense in honoring its name and past. To celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the Revolution it built the Eiffel Tower, to link his name to the most debated project in the city's history, President Pompidou authorized the Beaubourg; Mitterrand defended the large white Arc de la Defense and celebrated the bicentenary of the Louvre by inaugurating a new wing characterized by the tip of a glass pyramid. The continual development with which Paris blends past, present and future is a way for it to assemble its memories, ghosts and hopes and to make its voice as cultural leader respected around the world. Paris is unique and unequalled. The photographs in this book - a volume in the series The Wanderer that also comprises the titles Cuba, Sahara and Ireland - present the many aspects of this city, with particular emphasis placed on the beauty, emotions, colors and smells of its squares, streets and parks. Sober and aristocratic in the older quarters, cosmopolitan and futuristic in the aseptic squares of La Defense, Paris is portrayed without veils, stripped of her mystery, armed only with her everlasting charm.