cover image Paris 1979-1989

Paris 1979-1989

Sabine Fachard. Rizzoli International Publications, $37.5 (191pp) ISBN 978-0-8478-0899-1

This detailed, graceful book looks at nine major, state-financed construction projects that are either under way or have been completed in Paris. They include two well known to Americans, the conversion of the Gare d'Orsay, a railroad station, into the Musee d'Orsay, which opened in 1986, and the expansion of the Louvre, called the Grand Louvre, which is still under construction and includes a controversial glass pyramid and underground facilities in the central square of the museum. Included in the discussion of the Grand Louvre are two brief but pointed interviews with the architect, I. M. Pei, highlights of the archeological dig on the site and an essay by one of Pei's assistants. The other projects covered are the Bastille Opera, the Great Arch of La Defense, the Ministry of Finances, the City of Music, the Arab World Institute, La Villette Park and the Center for Science and Industry. Scale models, line and architectural drawings and photographs amply illustrate the volume. The text is in French and English. (March)