Le Mur (urban art)

Le MUR, an acronym for "modulable, urban, and reactive," is a French association founded in 2003 with the goal of promoting contemporary and, in particular, urban art. It is a non-profit organization under French law (1901) and was founded by the French painter and sculptor Jean Faucheur, the situationist Thomas Louis Jacques Schmitt, known as "Thom Thom," Malitte Matta, and the art collector Bob Jeudy^[1].

The association offers urban artists and graffiti artists the chance to showcase their work temporarily on a wall located at 107 rue Oberkampf in the 11eme arrondissement of Paris, France. A new artist presents their work every two weeks, replacing the previous one, thereby continuing the tradition of ephemeral urban art^[2][3].

It is the initial spot of the street art movement in Paris in April 2000. Le Mur was at this time an advertising billboard was firstly hijacked by artist Hephaestus in spring 2000.^[4]

In 2007 it became an officially sanctioned street exhibition space.^[5]

Twenty cities have now their own "Mur" in france among them Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Toulon, Nancy, Epinal, Mulhouse, Tours, Cherbourg^[6], or Orléans^[7].