Paris | 2017
Much of Paris’ abundant majesty is quite conspicuously displayed, but far from all of it.
This is the back of the Richelieu Library. The gleaming front is welcoming, the renovated interior is spectacular, but it is the chipped, soot-covered service entry on a narrow rue to the rear that most deeply earns my admiration. There’s no pretense or glamour-- just imposing, enduring, functionality and beauty that is likely overlooked by delivery men on their rounds and old men seeking purchase for a snack, but not by us.