intheareaof PARIS LA DÉFENSE PARIS LA DÉFENSE ART COLLECTION The 70 or so works of art alone justify a visit to the parvis and esplanade, where they are sited. The inoffensive Araignée Rouge by Alexander Calder, the Personnages fan- tastiques by Joan Miró, Le Pouce by César, the multicoloured Bassin by Takis, the Fon- PARIS taine monumentale by Yaacov Agam, the Doubles lignes indéterminéesby Bernar LA DÉFENSE Venet and the Slat by Richard Serra are all unmissable milestones for contemporary art enthusiasts. Parvis de la Défense. Paris La Défense. Just a few minutes from Paris, La Défense M Esplanade de la Défense.o is a unique district. Forming a remarkable https://parisladefense.com architectural ensemble, it has continued to renew itself from the first high-rise build- ings, in the 1960s, to the inauguration of the latest generation of towers with high- environmental-quality labels.The surface area of its office spaces makes it the big- gest business district in Europe but for the visitor, La Défense has many other attrac- tions! Its Grande Arche, built in 1989 during TOIT DE LA GRANDE ARCHE the bicentennial of the French Revolution, A ride of less than one minute in a glass lift stands at the end of the ‘axis’ on which are takes you up to Paris’s largest terrace … At a aligned the Louvre Museum, the Avenue des height of 110 metres, the view of La Défense Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe. At district and the capital is spectacular. Archi- ground level, a 3-hectare paved pedestrian tecture buffs willenjoy taking in landmark area is a great place to stroll and admire the sights including the Fondation Louis Vuitton, surrounding buildings as wellas the amaz- the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and the ing collection of monumental contempo- Eiffel Tower. Also onsite, a 1,200 m² cultural rary artworks. Throughout the year, cultural, space shows temporary exhibitions. musical and sporting events and enter- 1 parvis de la Défense. At the top of the steps tainment take place in this space, which is of the Grande Arche. Paris La Défense. dotted with ornamental ponds. La Défense M La Défense – Grande Arche.o also has a number of restaurants and cafes, 01 40 90 52 20. www.lagrandearche.fr two shoppgcetres (the Cnit and Quatre Temps) and cinemas. The Paris La Défense Arena, located behind the Arche, hosts major sporting and music events. It is the only venue of its kind in the world to have stands in a ‘U’ shape and so offers a unique immersive experience. Parvis de la Défense. Paris La Défense. M La Défense – Grande Arche.o https://parisladefense.com 50| WEST PARIS