Advent -2

After photography, there is graffiti…A few years ago I was on the look out for a very unique, incredibly personal gift idea for Mr French when I came across a post by AnnetteC on Our Paris Forum. Annette, who has a sweet little flat in the 5th that she rents to tourists (there is a gift idea… a flat in Paris), had recently created an utterly memorable terribly romantique gift for her hubby, a bit of street art. I LOVED the idea and wrote if she minded if I did a little copycat. She didn’t mind and I started purring….

While strolling the streets of Paris, Annette had become curious about the street art of the artist Gregos. Gregos creates faces that look like someone is walking through a wall on to the city’s streets. There are three moulds of the face, but each face is individually painted and Gregos welcomes collaborations by other artists. Artists like me, or YOU!!!

For 30€ you can order a plaster of Paris (I know, ironic, hunh?) face from Gregos‘ website. You then paint the face with an idea, theme or inspiration especially for your giftee. Once painted the face is ready to be gifted or have Gregos stick it on a Paris street. He’ll even tell you how you can put it on the streets of YOUR (or the giftee’s) hometown!!!

Not only did Mr French love his mask, but I absolutely loved the expression on his face as we strolled by the Luxembourg Gardens and he noticed a very cool face coming out of the wall, then realized it was dedicated to him. It was another week or so before he understood that I had not just commissioned the face, but that I was actually the artist behind the art. And every time we we’re in the neighborhood, he wants to stroll by, just to check out his face.

The faces truly are art, which makes them collectables, which means they may be stolen. For Mr French I purchased two, had one put up on a wall in his beloved 5th arrondisement and kept the other one for our balcony at home. Which turned out to be a good thing, because after three years, his face was stolen sometime this summer!

Not an artist? Gregos is and you can buy one of his painted faces (135€) on his website. With the Gregos face, you’re supporting the arts, while giving the gift of art, a gift you’re sure will not be one of three identical gifts. If you’re looking for something fun and funky that doesn’t cost more than a tongue and cheek, this is the gift you’ve been looking for…

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5 thoughts on “Advent -2

  1. Depuis mars 2011, j’ai une collaboration artistique avec l’artiste Gregos. Il me donne à peindre les visages moulés qu’il a conçu. Après ma mise en couleur, Gregos les colle sur un mur ou un endroit visible dans la ville. Nous en sommes à une quinzaine déjà ! Il m’est aussi arrivé de les coller, essentiellement en Bretagne. A ce jour, il y a eu des collages à Paris, en Guyane, Brest, Saint-Brieuc, Rennes, Athènes en Grèce et Los Angeles aux Etats-Unis. En outre, Gregos a collé certains de mes Men at work et mes Girls in the city lors de ses voyages.

    Since March 2011, I have an artistic collaboration with artist Gregos. He gives me to paint the faces he designed molded. After my coloring, Gregos glue the faces on a wall or a visible place in the city. We have already made ​​some fifteen! I also happened to stick them, mainly Britain. There have been collages in Paris, French Guiana, Brest, Saint-Brieuc, Rennes, Athens in Greece and Los Angeles in the United States. Moreover, Gregos stuck some of my Men at work and my Girls in the city during his travels.

    _vous pouvez également consulter / you can also visit

    Flickr de Gregos : http://www.flickr.com/photos/37891759@N04
    Site de Gregos : http://gregosart.com/STREETART/Eng/COLLABORATIONS/TAREK.html
    Blog : http://tarekandgregos.tumblr.com/
    Flickr album Tarek and Gregos : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarek-bd/sets/72157626512424331/

  2. Pingback: Advent -2 | Finding Noon « Paris Tonkar Blog

  3. What fun to see my mask on your blog today! I wish I had been smart like you and made two, since ours was also stolen. At least we got to see it up in Paris once before it disappeared. I am loving this topic and can’t wait to read about the rest of your ideas–you’re so creative!

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