16.3.15

Square Vergennes


Square Vergennes in the 15th arrondissement is a charming little street…

… and, especially, you will find a museum / art gallery under the name of “Musée Mendjisky – Ecoles de Paris”. Maybe first some words about the building: It dates from 1932 and has as architect Robert Mallet-Stevens who, together with Le Corbusier, was a leading representative of the between-the-wars architecture in France (see previous post). It was built for Mallet-Steven’s friend and close collaborator, Louis Barillet (1880-1948), a stained-glass artist.



As said, this is now a museum / art gallery, to a large extent devoted to the painter Maurice Mendjisky (1890-1951), born in Poland. Maurice arrived in Paris at the age of 19, lived at the famous “La Ruche” (see previous post), became friends with Modigliani, Picasso, Soutine, Foujita…. He also met and lived some three years with Alice Prin, the famous “Kiki de Monparnasse” (see more below). Later Maurice moved to the south of France, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where he had previously met his wife Rosette. Two sons were born. In 1933, together with the painter Paul Signac and the poet and screenwriter Jacques Prévert (see previous post), portrayed (with his eternal cigarette in his mouth, see below) by Maurice, they created the anti-Nazi “Movement of the Intellectuals for Peace”. His wife was arrested by the Nazis in 1942, one of the sons was executed, all his Polish family exterminated… Maurice spent his last years illustrating the heroic resistance at the Warsaw ghetto, later published with poems by Paul Eluard. The surviving son, Serge Mendjisky, born in 1929, a painter and photographer, created this museum / art gallery, where you can of course also find examples of his own work as well as works by other artists.  


There are a number of paintings that Maurice made of  Alice Prin (1901-1953), during the three young years they were together (the three top left paintings here below), before she became famous as “Kiki de Montparnasse”, portrayed by Soutine, Foujita, Picabia, van Dongen, Cocteau, Calder… and of course especially by her companion Man Ray. She was not only a model, but she was also a painter herself, singer, actress… She wrote her autobiography with introductions by Hemingway and Foujita. She “reigned” as the “Queen of Montparnasse” during the 1920’s and 30’s.  


6 comments:

Anonymous said...


I love your photos!
And I always learn a lot from your posts!

The little street was named after Charles Gravier?
His daughter was a great friend of Josephine de Beauharnais.

Thanks for this beautiful post, M. Peter.
Good Night!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Thanks for sharing Peter. My kind of place to seek out. As the above person said "always learn a lot " and always very interesting. Love off the beaten track places ..Non tourists !! 😊 take care Anne .

Thérèse said...

Sur un fond d'Histoire triste une belle réalité d'architecture et d’œuvres d'art.

lyliane six said...

beau post très instructif je ne connaissais pas

Studio at the Farm said...

Thank you, Peter, for the interesting and educational post. Those stained glass works are beautiful.
Kathryn

claude said...

Comme Lyliane, je ne connaisais pas.Dernièrement j'ai lu sur les habitués de Montparnasse et entre autres sur Kiki quand je cherchais qui étaient les deux dames de la terrasse du café à paris, café le no name café. En fait ce n'était ni Barnes ni Solano, mais Tilia et moi on ne sait toujouts pas de quel café il s'agit.
Toujours très instructifs tes posts sur Paris, Peter.