Place Paul Eluard

You are standing in a space named for Paul Eluard, a man who became one of the most prominent voices of the twentieth century surrealist movement. Born in the nearby suburb of Saint-Denis in eighteen ninety five, he originally carried the name Eugene Grindel. He eventually adopted the name Paul Eluard from his maternal grandmother as he began to distance himself from his conventional upbringing and immerse himself in the radical artistic circles of Paris. His work consistently sought to bridge the gap between dreamlike imagery and the raw, harsh realities of political life.