Art at work in Paris

To talk about the 11th and 12th “arrondissements” of Paris, between the place de la Bastille, the Gare de Lyon and Nation, is to conjure up the traditional world of master craftsmen. For generations, cabinetmakers (ébénistes) and other players in the craft industry have passed on their skills in secluded workshops on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, tucked away in courtyards and alleyways. In contrast, those beneath the archways of the Viaduc des Arts can express their art for all to see, allowing us to reap the benefit of their ancestral techniques and their gifted imagination.