Les artistes de Belleville : valeur et faire-valoir d’un quartier de Paris à leurs dépens ?

• Main Author: Sophie Gravereau
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Université Lille 1 2013-03-01
• Series: Territoire en Mouvement
• Subjects: artist; gentrification; Belleville neighbourhood; Paris
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/tem/1999

Recent studies have highlighted the role of artists in the social and urban evolution of certain neighbourhood of big cities : artists are often considered to be the instigators or even the main actors of the renewal of these areas which were previously mostly working-class districts.Artists deciding to move to Belleville, a former working-class area in north-east Paris, have progressively changed the face of the neighbourhood. Architecturally they have participated in the renovation of numerous run down industrial buildings, sometimes with the help of local associations and then the local government. Economically, artists established in the former boutiques of artisans have sometimes led to the transformation of the commercial landscape of certain streets in the neighbourhood. Finally, from a sociological point of view, the presence of artists has promoted the district through artistic attractions and the organisation of cultural events, thus contributing to the transformation of the local fabric and encouraging a new wealthier population to settle in the area. This local role, promoted by the numerous artistic associations in Belleville, is also supported by the municipality of Paris as it seeks an additional way to put the finishing touches to its policy of urban renewal in the working class neighbourhoods. The artistic associations have been instrumental in both the urban and social renewal ; nevertheless they are often forgotten in artistic and cultural politics. The artists of Belleville therefore wonder what is at stake in this new urban role which calls into question their status as creators and their artistic identity. The aim of this paper is to clarify the implications of being an artist in Belleville nowadays and the ways in which they have participated, actively or passively, in the evolution and transformation of the neighbourhood.