Francisque Poulbot

I recently made a post on the improvements which have taken place at the Montmartre Museum. Last weekend an event took place there, in the gardens, where so many nice well-known paintings have been made. A sculpture, bust, was inaugurated. The person who was brought into honour was Francisque Poulbot (1879-1946), affichiste and illustrator, especially known for the drawings of the local Montmartre street kids, urchins, so famous that they now are just referred to as “poulbots”. The house where he spent his last years is nearby and you can find some of his kids as decoration. (I posted about him a long time ago.)

Francisque Poulbot was also also co-creator of the “Montmartre Republic”, of the local vineyard, the “Clos de Montmartre” (see previous post) and a lot of other things which somehow saved Montmartre, from destruction, over-exploiting… 

The “Montmartre Republic” colours were there and a lot of people (despite the first really cold day of the season).

There were of course speeches by Presidents of the “Montmartre Republic”, of the “Old Montmartre” (Le Vieux Montmartre) association, of the Montmartre Museum and of the “Francisque Poulbot Friends” and we heard a song dedicated to Francisque by Alain Turban (who will have a Montmartre “show” at the famous “Olympia” February 3) …

With the crowd, it was not easy to get good close-ups…

…  but, when it was almost all over I managed to get closer. I also took a photo of the bust creator, Agnès Rispal, talking to one of the invited persons, Christian Cabrol, an eminent, now retired, cardiologist, who among many other medical exploits executed the first European heart transplantation in 1968.

We then joined the little “Poulbot Orchestra” for a little aperitif.

Something completely different: Close to the Montmartre Museum there is a little one-room flat where the composer Erik Satie lived 1890-98. He had then a short love story with the painter (who also worked as model for Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec…) Suzanne Valadon (who lived where the museum now is), he played as “bar pianist” at the famous cabaret “Chat Noir”. All of you may not know his name, but I’m rather convinced that you will recognize his music. Below you can even listen to a free version by “Blood, Sweat & Tears”.

Tiles

Some of you wonder how I sometimes manage to find some more or less odd places here in Paris. There are different ways; a mix of “just by chance”, by always looking to the right and the left, upwards and downwards with my new “blogger eyes”, by reading some books, by listening to friends ... and sometimes by “stealing” from others. This is the case today. Thanks to Catherine, “TheFive of Us”, and a message called “Kids of Paris”, I felt I had to go and see the place she posted about also “live”, actually fairly close to where I live.

So behind this very modern and neutral gate (43 bis rue Damrémont), today the address of a Medical Laboratory and some flats, you will find a corridor decorated by tiles, dated 1910 and designed by Francisque Poulbot (1879-1946). He was a well-known illustrator of especially the “Kids of Paris” as he saw them around Montmartre.

Here you can see one of his illustrations more in detail and also additional tiles further on in the corridor by an - at least to me - unknown artist.

Poulbot had his home - with some decorations - very near, which you also can see below. His “kids” have served as models for a lot of paintings and postcards made by other artists. Such illustrated kids are today often referred to as “poulbots”, but are of course - mostly - not the “real” ones.

Another entrance, very close, also draws your attention (103, rue Lamarck). “Peter & associés”. I’m not involved. This used to be a “Bains Douches”, a public bath until (almost) everybody got their own facilities. “Peter & Associés” seems to organise rallies of vintage cars. The walls are also here nicely decorated by tiles.

I look forward to see some comments from our blogger friend and tiles artist, “SparkleMirror”.

This map may make it easier to find these places, if you are interested.

I wish you a nice weekend!