Paris, April 24, 2026 – Renowned street artist Seth, whose real name is Julien Malland, has once again left his mark on the 13th arrondissement of Paris with a new monumental XXL mural. Located on Rue Émile-Deslandres, at the intersection with Rue Croulebarbe, this vibrant artwork replaces a previous creation by Seth that was covered during building insulation work.
A Promise Kept: Seth’s Return to Paris 13th
The return of Seth to this specific wall is particularly noteworthy. His previous work had adorned the very same building before it was temporarily removed for thermal insulation. The 13th arrondissement’s city hall had made a public commitment to bring the same artist back once the renovations were complete – a promise that has now been fulfilled. Perched on his lift, the artist is giving life to this new monumental street art fresco in a district that has, since the early 2010s, become one of the capital’s most unique open-air museums.
Who is Seth, the Unmissable Urban Artist of Paris 13th?
A 53-year-old Parisian born in 1972, Seth has been gracing walls worldwide with his colorful characters for over twenty years. His faceless children, often carrying dreams and symbols, form a poetic and engaging body of work. In the 13th arrondissement, his creations already line Boulevard Vincent-Auriol, a true backbone of Parisian street art with its fifty painted facades, as well as the Butte-aux-Cailles and the Louise-Bourgeois school. He recently established his studio in the district, becoming, as the city hall emphasizes, a full-fledged artist of the 13th.
His paintings of faceless children, immortalized across the globe, are well-known to street art enthusiasts. The artist, who is also a writer, illustrator, and editor, has exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo, the Magda Danysz gallery, and the Itinerrance gallery, which has been the main driving force behind the Boulevard Paris 13 project since its inception.
Seth: An Engaged Artist Beyond the Walls of the 13th
Seth’s work extends far beyond the district’s borders. In February 2022, three days after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the artist spontaneously took to the streets to paint “Ukraine on the March” on Rue Buot, in the same 13th arrondissement: a little girl with a blue and yellow flag trampling tanks. This image became a symbol, reproduced on the walls of an air-raid shelter and transformed into a Ukrainian postage stamp. In 2019, he created a giant fresco on a gable in the 20th arrondissement in homage to street artist Zoo Project, who died at the age of 23.
This week, Michel-Édouard Leclerc, president of the eponymous brand, praised his encounter with Seth at work, describing him as one of the most prolific and luminous French urban artists, as reported by Le Parisien. This compliment perfectly encapsulates the unique place this artist occupies in the contemporary urban art landscape.
Exploring Paris’s Street Art Scene
This new fresco is a must-see for all street art lovers in Paris, whether residents of the neighborhood or curious visitors to urban art. To complete the stroll, one can easily walk to Boulevard Vincent-Auriol and extend the discovery along the facades of the Boulevard Paris 13 project. Metro line 7, Les Gobelins station, or line 6 from Place d’Italie, provide easy access to the area.
Seth is one of the rare artists whose public works manage to touch both residents and casual passers-by. This new fresco enriches an arrondissement that, wall after wall, has forged a unique artistic identity in Paris. It’s a wonderful opportunity to (re)discover the Croulebarbe district and its surroundings.
Source: Sortiraparis.com
