When I’m in the US, they always talk about the market on the "Avenue du President Wilson" near Trocadéro. All the chefs from the chic restaurants of the next Champs Elysées go there to buy vegetables.”

Located between the Iéna et Alma-Marceau métro stations, and more specifically between the Museum of Modern Art and the Place de l’Alma, the Avenue du President Wilson open-air market is a truly French affair in the chic 16th arrondissement, a few steps away from Trocadéro. So I decided to go one Saturday at daybreak to do a photo study.

Alarm at 5:00 in the morning, metro at 6:00, to explore the cornucopia of one of the most elegant neighborhoods in Paris. On arrival, the cries and chatter of the merchants, who all know each other, setting up their stalls and creating the atmosphere that is so particular to Paris marchés. There are few clients at this early hour; this is the time when the market lives its life before the crowd pours in and the place buzzes like a beehive.

At the end of an aisle, the florist has built pyramids of roses, organized by color. Farther on are stalls of heritage fruits and vegetables. “These are varieties that are more and more difficult to find, because the seeds are no longer sold. You have to prepare your own seeds for the next season from existing plants.” Gustatory compositions follow: fish, live crayfish and lobsters, baskets of mussels and displays of oysters, artistically arranged piles of cheese, old-fashioned breads made with starter, and carefully laid out organic vegetables—a harmonious composition like in a hyper-realistic painting.
Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 1:00pm, and below in photos.

text and photos © Isabelle Brigout
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