I took this photo last night on top of the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris (the Paris Modern art museum) on my way back home from having dinner with my father. Call me ignorant, but I have no idea what this big sign means. Is that a brand, the name of an exhibit, a new Republic?! I looked up on the web, and found nothing. If someone knows, please, enlighten us!
"Res publica", translated literally from Latin, would be "public thing". Here is what Wikipedia says: Res publica is a Latin phrase, loosely meaning "public issue" or "public matter".
ReplyDeleteI tried to visit that museum, but it was closed. They probably had not yet repaired their security system.
Merriam Webster says this:
ReplyDeleteMain Entry: res pu·bli·ca
Pronunciation: \ˈrās-ˈpü-bli-ˌkä\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin — more at republic
Date: circa 1898
1 : commonwealth, state, republic
2 : commonweal
I love a mystery!
ReplyDeleteJust viewed the 5th annual picnic vimeo and think it looks like so much fun. Maybe one day.....
PDP is sort of a res publica! Once again you've created a wonderful image, Eric. Bravo!!
ReplyDeleteI suppose Res Publica could also be the name of a competition that any runner in the country could enter!!!
Another definition of res publica is "the general good or welfare." Whatever it means here, I love the graphic nature of this photo!
ReplyDeleteGood post...great photo with lots of interesting viewer participation.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I found Eric
ReplyDelete"Res Publica": The Political Vindication
in The Three Musketeers.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%22Res+Publica%22%3A+The+Political+Vindication+in+The+Three+Musketeers....-a089147998
...a Friday mystery...a mystery for the weekend...a mystery to get us going....nice going Eric.....:)
ReplyDeleteYes, whatever the mystery, it has made for a lovely photo. The silhouette and typography are beautiful, Eric!
ReplyDeleteIt could be a a Roman colloquial phrase for 'self-service' or to put it another way, 'just walk in and help yourself'
ReplyDeleteor, it could be the new name for the French football team as the government tries to distance itself from the fiasco at the World Cup.
Someone sent me a link. I have no time to read through it (and it's all in French!) but the sender said "This site should provide you with all the answers about this sign on the Museum".
ReplyDeleteHow intriguing!
in my opinio Jeff is right. As a lawyer here in Brazil I use this expression a lot in my daily work!
ReplyDeleteLove PDP, come here every day =)
Had a quick look at the website and Respublica Nova seems to be a political forum/pressure group of young adults with an interest in politics. They consider politics to be a noble undertaking and wish to restore respect and leadership of thought to politics,
ReplyDeleteThey also wish to promote and protect the French language as part of a multi-lingual and diverse world.
The website is in French (of course) so I hope that I got this right.
Still don't know what it's doing on the Museum of Modern Art.
This would probably be too easy, but...someone could go to the musée and ask.
ReplyDeleteIt's a work of Nicolas Milhé exposed the first time in Bordeaux in the arts festival and urban EVENTO.
ReplyDeleteI pass by this daily on my bus route. A day or two after this image posting, they held a basketball event of some sort. I seem to recall that the sign remained. Not sure whether it was connected.
ReplyDeleteHave no idea what it is but I do know it is very seedy at night! The walls leading up the stairs are covered in graffiti, the pond in front has trash in it. Felt like a bad neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely means "public thing"... it's a allusion...
ReplyDeleteThe hermes bag emblem is engraved rather than embossed. hermes scarf stand on their own, and the hardware on the bottom of the Hermes Lindy do not screw off.
ReplyDelete