"Renoir's Garden"

“Monet’s Garden” in Giverny (see my posts here) is certainly more known than “Renoir’s Garden” in Paris. (... and this garden is definitely less famous for its water lilies … despite the top picture.) What is referred to as “Renoir’s Garden” is actually part of the green space which now surrounds the Montmartre Museum and on which I have posted several times, see e.g. here, here, here and here.

We can learn that Renoir lived and worked here for a short time around 1876 (two years after the first impressionist exhibition, see my post here). This is where he made one of his most famous paintings, “Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette” (see may post here). It was for the first time shown at the 1877 impressionist exhibition, was in 1879 purchased by his (wealthy) painter friend, Gustave Caillebotte (see my posts here and here) and became the property of the French Republic at the death of Caillebotte. Today you will find it in the Orsay Museum (see my posts here).   

When Renoir lived here, the green space was described as an abandoned park. Jeanne Samary, who was painted a dozen of times by Renoir, appears in another famous painting from the garden, “The Swing” (and her sister sits in the front on the “Galette” painting)… and there is actually a reference to Monet as well – he’s supposed to stand together with Renoir in this other Renoir painting from the garden – there are other ones….

Walking around the garden, you are of course overlooked by Suzanne Valadon’s workshop (see post here).

Well, as I was in company with some green space experts, I concentrated on some shots of flowers, I don’t believe they need any particular comments, despite the fact that they were taken during one of the coldest May days Paris has ever experienced. No real spring feeling.

Two more views of the little pond with the water lilies (top picture).

There is now a (very) little vegetable garden.

On the way to and from “Renoir's Garden” I took these flower photos, including, when arriving home, of the white bushes surrounding my own little garden.