Suzanne Sunday

 Late afternoon in the studio of artist Suzanne Valadon.

Musée de Montmartre
12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Museum Monday

 ADYA & OTTO VAN REES

 At the heart of the avant-garde 

 

Ends September 13, 2026 

 

Musée de Montmartre
12 rue Cortot 75018

 

 

***

 

Dutch artist couple Adya van Rees-Dutilh (1876-1959) and Otto van Rees (1884-1957) have returned to Montmartre, offering a fascinating example of a true artistic partnership at the heart of 20th-century modernism. They lived and worked in Montmartre's now famous Bateau-Lavoir (Picasso, Braque, van Dongen, Mondrian, Modigliani and poet/writer Max Jacob were part of their circle) and later, Montparnasse, in the era that helped define Pointillism, Cubism, Cloisonnism (with its flat planes of color, heavy dark contours and simplified forms) and eventually, Abstraction. The current exhibition at the Musée de Montmartre - with its refreshing garden, small tea room, and sweeping views - is the perfect opportunity to discover them. - BPJ

 

 

 

 

Throwback Thursday

 

 

The atelier of painters' model / artist Suzanne Valadon aglow at sundown. 

 Renoir Gardens

Musée de Montmartre
12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Throwback Thursday

 

 

Twilight mingling in the Renoir Gardens.

 

From Opening

 École de Paris (Marek Roefler Collection)

 

 Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Reminder:

Ends February 15, 2026

 

   

Table Tuesday

 

 

Golden leaves carpet the ground at the Renoir Gardens, one of Paris' quiet treasures.

 

 

Stand-up Saturday

At his post, ready to pour drinks and oversee nibbles (as Aristide Bruant looks on) at the Musée de Montmartre opening.

***

Current exhibition: 

École de Paris: The Marek Roefler Collection

 

 Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Ends February 15, 2026

 

Teatime Tuesday

 

 

 

Teatime in the Renoir Gardens at the Musée de Montmartre.

 

*** 

 

Current exhibition:

 

École de Paris: The Marek Roefler Collection

 

 Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Ends February 15, 2026

 

 

   

Museum Monday

 

 

The Musée de Montmartre celebrates the opening of a spectacular new exhibition.

 

Above: private invitation champagne reception in the enchanting Renoir Gardens

 

 

École de Paris: The Marek Roefler Collection

 

 Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Ends February 15, 2026

 

 

 

[Tamara de Lempicka, Portrait of a Russian Dancer; Henri Hayden, Chess Players]

 

(click to enlarge)

 

*** 

 

Highlighting art critic André Warnod's 1925 term "École de Paris" for international artists who made Montmartre and Montparnasse pre-World War I hubs of creativity, this diverse group - mostly Jewish artists from Central and Eastern Europe, plus talents like Picasso (Spain), Modigliani (Italy), Foujita (Japan), and Rivera (Mexico) - nurtured avant-garde styles like cubism, fauvism, and expressionism. The exhibition showcases Polish masters from Marek Roefler’s collection, including Ossip Zadkine, Tamara de Lempicka, Moïse Kisling, and lesser-known figures like Henri Hayden, Eugène Zak, and Mela Muter.

The sheer number of works and artists is overwhelming. The show traces a north-south path through these iconic districts, blending influences from Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh with unique styles shaped by intellectual freedom, supported by figures like Guillaume Apollinaire and Max Jacob. Part of the museum’s focus on artistic diversity and Montmartre’s legacy, it is backed by Poland’s Embassy in France and the Polish Institute in Paris, in partnership with Villa La Fleur museum in Poland and the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, with a companion publication.  - BPJ

 

Letting Luce

 

MAXIMILIEN LUCE

l'Instinct du Paysage

 

Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

 

Ends September 14, 2025

 

*** 

Maximilien Luce (1858–1941) was a trailblazer of Neo-Impressionism and key figure in anarchist and libertarian communities. Leaving an indelible legacy through his deep artistic and political passions, his paintings of urban and rural scenes as well as the human experience reflect the social and industrial shifts of his time. Although his stunning landscapes take center stage in this exhibition, he also portrays subjects that were unexplored by his fellow Pointillists, such as workers in motion.
 
The humanistic spirit at the core of his work defines its essence, yet landscape remains a central theme that energized his art throughout his career. With a distinctive sensitivity, Luce masterfully portrays light and color. This exhibition showcases his artistry and brings his frequently underappreciated work to a wider audience.

Luce lived on rue Cortot from 1887 until 1899, just steps from where this exhibition, the first Paris retrospective since 1983, is now being held. — BPJ

Sunset Sunday

 

The blush of sunset from the Renoir Gardens of the Musée de Montmartre.

 

Rappelle-toi

Rappelle-toi Barbara Il pleuvait sans cesse sur Brest ce jour-là. Et tu marchais souriante. Épanouie ravie ruisselante. Sous la pluie. Rappelle-toi Barbara - Jacques Prévert

 ***

 Today ends an in-depth exhibition highlighting the life and work of Jacques Prévert at the Montmartre Museum with its stunning Renoir Gardens and small tea room.

From my college days I've fond memories of how my father would recite "Rapelle-toi Barbara" to me because it had my name in it, not realizing that Prévert was much more than a prolific poet. A talented writer, screenwriter and, in his own right, artist whose best friends were notable painters of the day such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, he spent his time in Montmartre welcoming a beau monde from a small studio that overlooked Le Moulin Rouge and was filled with books and scraps of cuttings to create his astonishing surrealist collages.

 Prévert's Wikipedia biography states, "He died of lung cancer in Omonville-la-Petite on 11 April 1977. He had been working on the last scene of the animated movie Le Roi et l'Oiseau ("The King and the Mockingbird") with his friend and collaborator Paul Grimault. When the film was released in 1980, it was dedicated to Prévert's memory, and on opening night, Grimault kept the seat next to him empty. His dog Auto was given to a family friend after his death." - BPJ

 

Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

  

 

Below: in a spontaneous moment at the exhibition a couple embrace in front of one of Prévert's collages that happened to be just around the corner from a poster of film, "Les Enfants du Paradis" (1945), screenplay by Jacques Prévert

 

Window Wednesday

 

POV fresh snow from the Café Renoir.

 

Musée de Montmartre

Renoir Gardens

 

Tearoom Tuesday

 

A tearoom in winter.

 

Musée de Montmartre

Renoir Gardens

 

Museum Monday

 

 

Further to yesterday's post -

 

The Montmartre Museum merits a visit for its location, architecture and Renoir Gardens alone.

 

Above: restored atelier of Suzanne Valadon, painters' model / artist who lived there with Impressionist André Utter and her son, Maurice Utrillo, starting in 1912, part of the permanent exhibition

 

 Below: Valadon's studio seen from the Renoir Gardens

 

 

Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018

 

Current:

Théophile Steinlen (1859 - 1923)

The Centenary Exhibition

 

Ends February 11, 2024

 

Steinlen Sunday

 

 

Swiss artist Théophile Steinlen who called several addresses in Montmartre home, is mostly recognized for his ubiquitous poster Le Chat Noir (The Black Cat), the club by the same name, thought to have been the first modern cabaret. But as much as he loved cats and to paint cats, he did more. Much more.

 

Théophile Steinlen (1859 - 1923)

The Centenary Exhibition

 

Musée de Montmartre

 Renoir Gardens / Café Renoir / Atelier Suzanne Valadon / permanent exhibition 

12 rue Cortot 75018 

 

Ends February 11, 2024

 

 

Sunday best

Sunday in Paris can be the best day of the week if you know where to go.

Above: at the Musée de Montmartre where the extended Kees Van Dongen exhibition ended yesterday; families and friends head to the salon de thé or, on a nice day, lounge on the lawn of the Renoir gardens

Renoir's garden

Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived and worked here, the oldest house in Montmartre that dates from the 17th century, now a museum.

Only recently were the gardens opened to the public

 

Musée de Montmartre

12 rue Cortot 75018