Lavirotte Building

The Lavirotte building

The Paris audio-guided tour invites you to look up at the splendid façade of the Lavirotte building, a jewel of Parisian Art Nouveau, on the Avenue Rapp.

A manifesto of Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau was a movement as brief as it was intense, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which celebrated the softness of curves, the inspiration of nature and the freedom of imagination. The Lavirotte building is one of its finest examples: its façade, inaugurated in 1901, was elected the finest façade of Paris. The architect Jules Lavirotte, inspired by what Gaudí was doing in Barcelona, worked with the ceramist Alexandre Bigot, who covered the building with exuberant mosaics and mouldings. The building has been listed as a historic monument since 1964 and labelled heritage of the twentieth century. In Paris, Art Nouveau is also embodied in the famous wrought-iron metro entrances designed by Hector Guimard.

What there is to see

The façade of the Lavirotte building is a festival of ceramics, curves and sculpted allegories that invite strolling and smiling. Every detail, from flowers to animals, testifies to the overflowing creativity of Art Nouveau. It is an exuberant and romantic work, one of the most surprising in Paris, to be contemplated by taking the time to examine its ornaments.

Practical information

The Lavirotte building is at 29 Avenue Rapp, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Being a private building, only its façade can be contemplated freely from the street, at all hours.

Why is the Lavirotte building famous?

For its Art Nouveau façade, elected the finest façade of Paris at its inauguration in 1901 and listed as a historic monument in 1964.

Who designed the Lavirotte building?

The architect Jules Lavirotte, in collaboration with the ceramist Alexandre Bigot, author of its mosaics and mouldings.