Les Deux Plateaux

Two hundred and sixty black and white striped columns of varying heights emerge from the courtyard of the Palais Royal. Daniel Buren designed this art installation in nineteen eighty-six to fill a former parking lot that had become an eyesore for the local residents. The government commissioned the work to modernize the space, yet the project sparked a fierce public outcry during construction. Critics argued the contemporary columns destroyed the historical integrity of the classical palace, leading to months of heated legal battles.