Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris

The Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, a large residential complex for international students of the University of Paris, formed part of Kelly’s extended urban geography. There he studied Le Corbusier’s Pavillon Suisse, observing the architect’s “viewing slots” along the parapet wall. While still teaching children’s art classes at the American School in Paris, Kelly stayed overnight at the Cité, where a dream of his pupils painting stripes on a scaffold led him to sketch the image on the back of the coffee bill the following morning.