Street art pops up throughout Paris, adding some Olympic color to major landmarks

abcnews.go.com:

Paris is getting a colorful splash of Olympic creative spirit with nearly 30 vibrant street art pieces, popping up at bustling metro stations and airports and in front of city hall

PARIS — Paris is getting a colorful splash of Olympic creative spirit with nearly 30 vibrant street art pieces that have popped up on bustling metro station walls, a large billboard at the airport and in front of city hall.

One shows a drawing of French fencer Ysaora Thibus in action. Another has canoers paddling down the Seine River. Some others include people enjoying themselves in a busy district. The original art was spread throughout Paris and other nearby host cities around the Olympic and Paralympic sites.

“During this time of the Olympics, it’s a lot of energy and people coming from all over the world,” said New York native JonOne, who has lived in Paris for the past three decades and is viewed in the street art world as a graffiti pioneer. He's one of six renowned street artists from four continents whose work is currently on display at train stations, airports, taxis, digital screens and billboards.

The artists were selected through a campaign spearheaded by Visa to help support small businesses. They hail from France (Marko 93 and Olivia De Bona), Brazil (Alex Senna), Australia (Vexta) and the United States (Swoon).

“Why not use street art?” said JonOne, 60, whose artwork can be found in several places in Paris including the Palais Royal–Musee du Louvre station. It took two months with five collaborators to finish the blue, white and red abstract expressionist-style graffiti, which covers 250 square meters (300 square yards) of the wall at the busy station.

“It projects a lot of energies and youth culture,” he said. “It’s a good