Face à la multiplication des tags sauvages sur les rideaux de fer, la Ville de Paris a mis en place un dispositif d’aide pour encourager la réalisation de fresques artistiques sur les devantures métalliques des commerces (voir le dispositif officiel). Pensé comme un levier de requalification urbaine douce, ce programme participe à l’embellissement du paysage commercial parisien tout en agissant contre la dégradation répétée des façades. Il valorise l’espace public en transformant les rideaux métalliques en supports culturels, identitaires et esthétiques.
Summary
The system in brief for retailers with metal roller shutters
- Subsidy of up to 80% of the total cost, capped at €1,000
- Reserved for Parisian retailers with metal shutters or grilles on the front of their premises.
- Requires proof of past or probable damage (graffiti, inscriptions, photos, etc.)
- The work must have recognized artistic value and be distinguishable from unauthorized graffiti.
PALM support for creating murals metal curtains
PALM offers turnkey support, from artistic design to painting.
Each project is tailor-made, in dialogue with the location, uses, and identity of the business.
Analysis of the medium and context
It all starts with an on-site visit. Our teams assess:
- the condition of the metal curtain (wear and tear, rust, graffiti, etc.), its exact dimensions,
- the nature of the material (smooth metal, ribbed, slatted, etc.),
- technical constraints (access, opening, ventilation, etc.).
This assessment helps us determine the best method of intervention (cleaning, priming, painting, etc.)
We also observe the immediate environment: neighborhood typology, colors, uses, to fuel artistic reflection.
Artistic direction and artist selection
We select one or more artists based on:
- the desired style (abstract, figurative, botanical, trompe l'oeil, etc.),
- the statement of intent related to the location or business,
- their geographical proximity.
Participatory option to co-create the work
We can also organize a collaborative workshop with the retail team, customers, or local residents. A moment of collective creation, bringing people together in a lively atmosphere. So that this murals becomes a real event in itself.
Painting metal curtains
PALM handles all technical and logistical aspects, in collaboration with the artists.
Assistance with administrative procedures with the City of Paris
PALM takes care of everything: putting together the grant application, submitting it, following up, and getting it approved.
Simple, fast, and comprehensive support.
What are the advantages of painting murals your metal curtain?
- Frescoes are respected in public spaces: they suffer less damage.
- A well-maintained facade enhances the business and attracts the attention of passersby.
- They enhance the neighborhood's aesthetics: every evening, when the curtains close, the street becomes an open-air museum.
A brief history of graffiti
Where does graffiti come from?
Graffiti is a practice that originated on the streets. Tags, throw-ups, wild graffiti... These gestures appeared in the 1970s and 1980s in New York, Philadelphia, Paris, and São Paulo, driven by young people seeking a means of expression. It is a form of immediate visual performance, a way of existing, of appropriating public space, of inscribing one's name, an emotion, a culture.
Often considered illegal or degrading, graffiti is also a major artistic movement of the 20th century: spontaneous, coded, collective. It has its pioneers, its styles, its language. It is more about protest than decoration. It arises from a sense of urgency, in opposition to established norms.
Muralism: another form of appropriation
Faced with this raw energy, recurring complaints from shopkeepers, and the €7 million spent each year by the City of Paris on cleaning, another approach has emerged: that of supervised muralism, supported by institutions.
Muralism transforms walls into giant paintings, created with the owner's consent and the support of public authorities. It is not opposed to graffiti: it coexists with it, sometimes as its heir, sometimes as an alternative. Where one acts without authorization, the other gives artistic recognition and a new place to art in the city.
PALM and muralism
The muralism promoted by PALM does not erase the rebellious history of graffiti. It incorporates certain codes while offering a sustainable, legible, and unifying framework to beautify our streets in a different way.
A street transformed by painting metal curtains
What if tomorrow, every iron curtain became a work of art?
When the shops close, the city is adorned with colors, stories, faces, and shapes.
An open-air gallery, free and accessible to all. At PALM, we believe that every surface can become a medium for creativity.
And we will guide you every step of the way, so that your business can be part of it.
See also
