American Friends of Musée de Montmartre

HistoryThe Musée de Montmartre is located in old houses on the Butte (hill of Montmartre). These residences, surrounded by gardens, housed the workshops and ateliers of numerous artists such as Auguste Renoir, Émile Bernard, Raoul Dufy, Charles Camoin, Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo. The permanent collection includes paintings, posters and drawings signed by Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, Kupka, Steinlen, Valadon, and Utrillo. Together, the artworks recount the history of Montmartre, including the innovative studios at Bateau-Lavoir and 12 rue Cortot and the infamous animated cabarets of the Lapin Agile and the Moulin Rouge. The Museum includes an entire room dedicated to the French Cancan, while another features rare zinc plates of dreamlike scenes from shadow theatre such as Le Chat Noir, the first modern cabaret founded by Rodolphe Salis in 1881.  The collection was made possible by the History and Archeology Society “Le Vieux Montmartre,” which itself dates back to 1886.  The permanent collection presented will immerse you in the history of Montmartre and reveal its rich culture. The Musée de Montmartre was founded in 1960 and dates one of its buildings to the seventeenth century.  This building is the Bel Air House and is the oldest building in Montmartre.  During its heyday, 12 rue Cortot served as a residence and meeting place for many artists including Auguste Renoir, Suzanne Valadon and Émile Bernard, who held their studios here, as well as the fauve artists Emile Othon Friesz and Raoul Dufy.The Musée's attendees relive Montmartre's celebrated history through the eyes of Suzanne Valadon during the Musée's immersive media show. Attendees rediscover the atmosphere that dominated the winding streets of the Butte and the famous names that roamed them.  Valadon's humble origins, artistic training, contacts and success make her the perfect guide to introduce the visit and recount the history of Montmartre: she is an allegory of the Butte during its effervescence. In July 2011, the Kléber-Rossillon Company took over the management of the Musée de Montmartre. It launched an ambitious program that expanded and restored the site. Exhibition space was doubled, the studio-apartment of the artists Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo was renovated, and the three gardens that inspired Renoir’s paintings were brought to their former glory. Artists started to move to Montmartre in 1870 and the cafes and cabarets multiplied in the 1880’s. What quickly came to characterize Montmartre in the eyes of everyone was this effervescent bohemian spirit, a creative energy.  In 1912 Suzanne Valadon, Maurice Utrillo and André Utter settled into their atelier-apartment and left a symbolic trace at 12 Cortot. The spirit of the infernal trio has been restored: the frying pan can be found in its place, the mezzanine was rebuilt in the studio, and the walls of Utrillo’s bedroom still have their original panelling and barbed wire on the windows.  To give life to this reconstruction, the company Kléber Rossillon called upon the designer Hubert Le Gall, scenographer who has worked with renowned institutions (e.g., Musée d'Orsay, Musée de l'Orangerie, Jacquemart- André). Hubert Le Gall was able to recreate the atelier-apartment, faithful to the letters and writings of the time and as portrayed in historical photographs - an ode and celebration of the past.Three gardens dedicated to Auguste Renoir surround the Musée de Montmartre. They are named in memory of the impressionist painter who lived on-site between 1875 and 1877, where he painted several masterpieces including the famous le Bal du Moulin de la Galette (“The Moulin de la Galette Ball”), La Balancoire (“The Swing”), and Jardin de la rue Cortot (“Rue Cortot Garden”). The Renoir Gardens offer breathtaking views of the vineyard, the Clos Montmartre, and northern cityscape of Paris. The Musée de Montmartre captures the excitement of a time at the turn of the century (the Fin de Siècle) in a neighborhood where artists, musicians, poets, and friends gathered and created.  This time gave birth to modern art, pushing against the boundaries of the time.  The Musée de Montmartre is rooted in history.  The American Friends of Musée de Montmartre celebrate this time and very special place.