Montmartre has to be one of my favourite places in Paris. On a recent trip, I had an afternoon on my own as Peter had to work, so I went for a wander around Montmartre. I decided to avoid the crowds in the Place du Tertre and other tourist hubs. I spent a delightful afternoon exploring the area’s narrow, cobbled streets. Away from the central part, the crowds thinned and there was little or no traffic. Montmartre is compact, so you can roam without getting seriously lost. Best of all, I seemed to stumble on a quirky delight around almost every corner to excite the photographer in me. In Place Marcel Aymé, located just off Rue Norvins, I found one such quirk – the man in the wall.
This is the 1989 creation of actor, director and sculptor, Jean Marais. The sculpture is based on a story written in 1943 by Marcel Aymé. It’s about a man called Dutilleul who discovers he can walk through walls but eventually gets stuck in a wall forever after using his powers to commit misdemeanours. Now the little square housing the statue is called Place Marcel Aymé after the writer. Notice how parts of the sculptor are more shiny? This is due to from people touching it… maybe for luck or maybe they were they trying to pull him out of the wall!
Apparently there’s also a movie “Le Passe-Muraille” (marketed as Mr Peek-a-Boo in English) based on this story…one to add to my “must watch” list.
