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Paris & Les Halles The Sixties
Photography of Paris during the 1960s, with a focus on the markets of Les Halles before their demolition.
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Paris during the nineteen sixties underwent major upheavals of society, urbanism and culture. Technology and modernism did not always keep up with city’s everyday life and people, however. High-rise buildings had barely broached the central city and installation of a new telephone could take five years.
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This exhibition includes 40 photographs of Paris during the nineteen sixties, divided between images of the markets of les Halles Baltard during its final years and photographs taken around the city of its places and people. All of the photography was done while the photographer lived in Paris. The photographic style is inspired by the work of Cartier-Bresson and Doisneau. Historical information and images of les Halles supplement the exhibit. | ||||
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| Historical Les Halles Baltard | |||||
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| Les Halles Baltard 1860 | |||||
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A few blocks north of the Pont Neuf, les Halles
was the central food market of Paris
for over 800 years. From the 12th century, it grew informally around the
medieval Pilori, the public square of capital punishment. During the
mid-nineteenth century, les Pavillons Baltard were constructed, providing “huge
umbrellas” of cast iron and glass to cover the vendors. Twenty percent of all
French food passed through les Halles. |
With business conducted all night, the area
became legendary, and scenes of tuxedoed restaurant patrons next to butchers in
blood soaked aprons were common. By the
mid-twentieth century, the site proved to be too constrained for the nightly
transit of 6,000 trucks and 8,000 tons of food. The wholesale market was
transferred to the suburbs in 1969, and les Pavillons were destroyed in 1971. | ||||
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| www.davidpendery.org |
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