Paris is best known for its great museums – the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, and the Centre Pompidou – but those who want to discover the city’s vibrant, rebellious, and urban side must stop at one address: 59 Rue de Rivoli.
The six-story building, known as 59 Rivoli, is much more than a gallery. It is a living creative center where street art and contemporary art meet, mix, and inspire one another. For street art lovers in Paris, this is a must-visit spot – an authentic experience that lets you see artists in action, much like a walk through Belleville or Oberkampf, but indoors and full of energy.

From Squat to Cultural Landmark
59 Rivoli did not start as an art center. The building was once a bank that stood abandoned for years until, in 1999, a group of young artists “squatted” and transformed it into an artistic space. Very quickly, the place became a magnet for culture lovers, the media, and tourists.
For several years, there was an ongoing struggle with the Paris municipality until, in 2006, an agreement was reached: the building would become a legally recognized art center owned by the city and open to artists from around the world. In 2009, the site officially reopened and has since become one of the symbols of alternative culture in Paris.

The Artists – Permanent and Temporary
One of the most unique aspects of 59 Rivoli is its artist residency model:
• About 20 permanent artists have studios in the building and create there for years.
• Around 10 guest artists receive temporary studios for a period of three to six months.

This mix creates a constantly evolving scene. Every visit can look different – new artists arrive, others leave, and the atmosphere changes accordingly.

A Variety of Styles
Among the artists, you can find painters, sculptors, photographers, illustrators, video artists, and street artists who work with techniques such as stencil, graffiti, and murals. There is no single leading school or approach – the idea is to open the door to any creative expression.
It is a microcosm of the contemporary art scene in Paris: free, experimental, colorful, and daring.

Connection to Paris Street Art
59 Rivoli is not detached from the street – on the contrary, it continues what happens outside and brings it indoors.
• The winding staircase and parts of the interior walls are filled with murals, paste-ups, and graffiti that change and evolve constantly.
• Artists who emerged from the street scene, such as C215, Jef Aérosol, or Invader, have left their mark there or collaborated with artists who worked in the building.
• Visitors can observe the creative process up close – what usually happens secretly in the streets unfolds here in front of the public.

This connection between the street and the studio creates an educational experience, showing how a graffiti idea turns into a concept, a sketch, a canvas work, and then back to a public wall.