Paris Prints For Sale

Discover our eclectic range of Paris prints for sale. We have selected some of the very best contemporary artists producing prints of Paris today. Our collection is ever expanding and diverse, with artists working in a variety of styles and mediums. If you are not sure where to start, we recommend exploring our artists working in an illustrative style. Or take a look at Clare Halifax. Clare produces layered prints of different cities she visits, such as Petit Paris (2018). This image depicts an infamous view of Paris, capturing the tree-lined boulevards that stretch towards the Eiffel Tower, rising above the city.

The History of Paris

The city of Paris has inspired countless artists and for centuries was the thriving centre of art, gaining a reputation as the ‘City of Art’. The city reached its artistic peak in the 19th century and early 20th century, when Avant Garde movements such as Impressionism or Cubism developed.

Today you can visit multiple museums filled with extraordinary collections of priceless art or visit iconic attractions like the Eiffel Tower. Yet, to understand how the city came to be as it is today, we must explore its rich and often turbulent history.

The French Revolution which began around 1787 brought around drastic social change, which profoundly influenced Parisian artists. One of the most famous works produced in light of the revolution is Eugène Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People (1830). This magnificent painting commemorated the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France.

Throughout the revolutions, the cramped and unorganised streets were easy to barricade, as you can observe in Liberty Leading the People. In response, Paris went through a dramatic period of urban reform, led by Georges-Eugène Haussmann, under direction of Napoleon III.

Haussmannisation

In the period between 1853-1870, Haussmann flattened the medieval and revolutionary Paris to create the wide, sweeping and majestic boulevards which define Paris today.

Haussmannisation ushered in an era of modernisation which greatly impacted artists of the time. The notion of the flâneur became popular during this time, which typically refers to the bourgeoisie act of strolling and observing the streets. Gustave Caillebotte’s painting Paris Street in Rainy Weather (1877) exemplifies both the leisurely act of strolling as well as the Haussmann streets.

During this time, France demonstrated their progression at world exhibitions, such as the exhibition of 1889, for which the Eiffel Tower was constructed. The tower was intended to be temporary and many people wished it had remained that way. However, after much debate the tower remained and today has become an iconic part of Paris’ skyline.

Paris between the wars

Following WW1, squalor, prostitution and crime filled the streets, creating circumstances which produced some of the most experimental artists of the time.

In the 1920s and 1930s cafe culture was booming and artists such as Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali were leading the Parisian Avant Garde movements.

Today many artists find the streets and cityscape of Paris a fascinating source of inspiration.