Institut d'Art et d'Archéologie

The Institut d'Art et d'Archéologie, also known as the Michelet Campus, has been called the most curious building in Paris. Designed by architect Paul Bigot and completed in the early 1930s, the structure rejects the era's dominant styles of modernism and Art Deco in favor of a bold, eclectic aesthetic. Its facade is a striking patchwork of red brick from Gournay that pulls inspiration from sources as diverse as Sienese Renaissance architecture, Venetian palaces, and even sub-Saharan kasbahs. You can see this creative synthesis in the building's unique silhouette, which features small, tower-like structures pointing toward the sky along the cornice.