18.10.12

The Montmartre Museum - again


Some three years ago I posted about the danger of the closure of the Montmartre Museum. It was saved. In July last year I posted about the museum again, including about the plans for important improvements. In that post I also talked about all the well-known artists who have lived and worked here – Renoir, Valadon, Utrillo, Bernard, Dufy…

I passed by the other day and had a check on what has been done so far. Parts of the garden are in a very good shape...  





... and some nice and safe stairs to the lower parts of the garden (little park) now gives a good access to the museum on the other side of the main building …


... and further down also a chance to get a better, different, view of the vineyard, the “Clos de Montmartre” (see previous post).



Other parts of the garden and some adjacent buildings are still under renovation – ongoing until 2014.

Although I have already talked about it in my previous posts, I cannot omit to show you some paintings from the garden by Renoir, by Valadon, by Dufy…  It was when he worked here that Renoir finished one of his most famous paintings, of the nearby “Moulin de la Galette”. … and in the garden you can now find an installation reminding of his painting “The Swing”.




A personality who had a lot of influence on some of the painters was Jules Tanguy, “Père Tanguy”. He worked here for some five years as a “housekeeper” and later opened a little shop (now an art gallery) where he sold painting equipment – often against a painting, which he then exposed. Among his friends and customers you can name Cézanne, Renoir, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh… and Emile Bernard, one of the occupants of the present museum. The two latter, van Gogh and Bernard, portrayed “Père Tanguy”, van Gogh several times. Emile Bernard was a very close friend to especially Gauguin and van Gogh. There is even a photo of Bernard and van Gogh together on the Seine bank (van Gogh turns his back). “Père Tanguy” and Bernard were some of the few personalities who were present during van Gogh’s funeral in 1890. Bernard even made a painting of the event.  I think it’s worth mentioning that “Père Tanguy” was a great fan of and sold Japanese prints, that van Gogh also became a fan and that this type of art to a high extent influenced van Gogh’s and some other post-impressionists' way of painting. You can see some Japanese prints behind “Père Tanguy” on van Gogh’s portraits of him. We must certainly be very grateful to "Père Tanguy"! 


17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Un articulo magistral!
Maria

Maria said...

Everything is great,Peter, the way your explain the history of your pictures i love it.
Thanks
Cheers!

starman1695 said...

"stairs to the lower parts of the garden (little park) now gives a good access to the museum on the other side of the main building …" All well and good....IF you aren't in a wheelchair!!!

helen tilston said...

Fabulous and thank you for the update.
This is an important museum and great to read it was preserved.

Helen

martinealison said...

J'avais manqué votre précédente publication... et ce matin, bien tôt! je prends beaucoup de plaisir à m'attarder sur chacune d'elles...
Montmartre reste et demeure pour moi un lieu magique qui me fascine.
Merci pour l'ensemble de vos photos... Je vis dans une toute petite ville près de Saint-Etienne et je ne viens que de temps en temps à Paris mais je viens à Montmartre!...
Gros bisous

Shane Pollard said...

Peter you are so great at giving us all the details - the 'behind the scenes' history and stories of these wonderful places within Paris.

I'm ashamed to say I have not yet visited the Montmartre Museum nor the Clos de Montmartre - I can't wait to see them on my next visit. Meantime I will read as much as I can - which is what you obviously do Peter.

It's interesting in van Gogh's portraits of Père Tanguy in the hat, the last one (is it charcoal or pastels) Père looks quite oriental?!

Well done and thank you for your efforts to save the Montmartre Museum.
Shane ♥

Studio at the Farm said...

What beautiful buildings and gardens! I am glad to hear the city has decided to renovate the museum. Your post was full of information today - I'd not even hard of M. Tanguy. Thank you, Peter.
Are you still doing your watercolor???

Ruth said...

A warm comforting place in October in Paris. The light is so fine. It is a joy that a housekeeper/shopkeeper played a big role in the lives of these artists. Wonderful!

claude said...

Tant mieux si le Musée de Montmartre a été sauvé. C'est un endroit chargé d'histoire de la peinture et les jardins sont très beaux. J'adore la peinture de Renoir, je la trouve tellement authentique. On a l'impression de voir la vie en vraie, au Moulin de la Galette ou ailleurs.
Un post qui me régale ce matin, Peter, Merci.

Alain said...

En être le conservateur, cela doit être assez sympa.

Cezar and Léia said...

I'm always enchanted by the chance of learning with your fabulous articles!I love Renoir paintings with the romantic garden.This garden has very special nature!
Hugs
Léia

Thérèse said...

Encore une nouvelle positive dans ce monde gris, y compris le temps...
Une bonne façon de raviver les souvenirs et de nous introduire "Père Tanguy."

Shionge said...

HIya Peter....sorry for not visiting often my dear friend. Hope you are well and fine :D

Mona said...

Everything about France seems so elegant! My sister and I were planing to visit this year, but she passed away before we could make it...

Synne said...

How nice to see that it's in good shape! I've never been there, but I'll make sure to visit!

Catherine said...

Lovely autumnal shots and it looks like the renovations are progressing very well....

arabesque said...

a new discovery!
i didn't even know there was one. ^0^