Eight Works of Art Hiding in Paris | Travel

In the streets of Paris, people are met with world-class museums, breathtaking architecture and exquisite eats at every turn. But nestled between renowned sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre are lesser-known artistic wonders just waiting to be found.

Through her new book Art Hiding in Paris, writer and art curator Lori Zimmer invites readers to go beyond the walls of art museums and instead experience the city’s veiled masterpieces—whether on public transit, on the grounds of a cemetery or in a retired brothel. Though many of the works of art included in the book are tucked away in unexpected locations, all are accessible to the public.

Art Hiding in Paris follows on the heels of Zimmer’s 2020 book, Art Hiding in New York, which in much the same way highlights the concealed wonders of the city Zimmer calls home. Thanks to annual summer visits to Paris in recent years, Zimmer says the City of Lights has become her second home, so it felt like a natural progression to center her next quasi-guidebook there. “​​The New York book is like a love letter to my home, and the Paris book is sort of a wish,” Zimmer says. “I want to know Paris in the same way that I know New York, and writing this book helped me get a little closer to that.”

Zimmer’s childhood friend Maria Krasinski, an illustrator, designer and researcher who has also spent her fair share of time in Paris, fills the book with whimsical drawings that capture the magic of these works of art.

“I hope [Art Hiding in Paris] makes potential travelers feel more comfortable and inspired to go abroad and see another place,” Zimmer says. “My whole motivation for both of the books is to make people feel welcome in the arena of art, and to just realize that art and art history is for everybody.”

Dodo Manège (Carousel of Extinct and Endangered Animals)

Surrounding the 69 acres of the Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants) located in the Fifth Arrondissement of Paris, also known as the Latin Quarter, are various museums, libraries and a zoo. The botanical garden also features a carousel that fits thematically with the surrounding…