A Parisian village: La Cité Internationale des Arts

Many of the impressionists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries: Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Utrillo, Modigliani, Degas, Bonnard, Seurat, to name a few, lived in Paris for at least part of their lives. Montmartre was a particular haven for these artists. It was one of the more affordable neighbourhoods in Paris and attracted bohemian artists of the time to come and work. Montmartre, today, is scattered with courtyards, passage ways, gardens where artist studios and ateliers are nestled up against each other in beautiful hidden enclaves. 

A five minute walk from where we live is an annex of La Cité Internationale des Arts, a state funded organisation receiving professional artists from all over the world for short term stays of 2 - 12 months. The foundation was started 1957. In 1965 a building was constructed in the 4th arrondissement of Paris to house 270 individual workshops. The annex to this foundation is in the 18th arrondissement at 24 Rue Norvins and comprises around 30 workshops in several buildings situated in an extraordinary oasis of greenery. It is often said that Montmartre is like a village and when you see these artists studios and their surroundings you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in a small village far away from Paris. 

Back in June we were taking a walk around our neighbourhood when I noticed that the usually locked back gate to La Cité des Artistes on Rue Girardon was slightly ajar. Having often pressed my nose through the surrounding railings of La Cité to have a better look, I seized the moment and squeezed through the gate. It was even more wild than I had expected.

Some of the studios looked empty.

Does this look like Paris to you?

An artful swing.

At the north side of the site I looked over the fence across Rue de L'Abreuvoir. The view this way was none to shabby either!

It was June. There were flowers.

Last year in May 2013, La Cité des Arts Internationale opened it's doors to the public. I think this is probably an annual event so I shall be looking out for this next May, and perhaps have the chance to go into to some of the studios.

If you want to learn more about the artists of Montmartre then Michael Schuermann from Easy Hiker wrote an interesting article 'Themed Paris Urban Walk – The Artists of Montmartre'.

I wrote an article about the beautiful Cité de Fusains, another wonderful secret oasis that is not open to the public.

La Cité des Fusains

The Cité des Fusains, also known as the Villa des Fusains, is one of the most exquisite hidden delights I have ever come across in Paris. This is really saying something, given how crammed full of beautiful spots Paris is! What makes it more surprising is that we are neighbours. Our house literally butts up against an artist studio in the Cité des Fusains. Unfortunately our courtyard, which I hasten to say by Parisian standards is brilliant and very spacious, does not connect with Les Fusains. Us and them.

Bound between Rue Steinlen and Rue Tourlaque in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, the Cité des Fusains is a private oasis of about 30 artists' ateliers. It is closed to the public and you need a code to get in. For a while we were lucky enough to have the code so I would pop in every now and then and take some photos. 

I've been wanting to write a post about the Cité des Fusains for some time now but have been delaying writing it as I've been trying to find more historical information about the place. It seems, however, to be so secret that even the Internet is not revealing very much information.

What I have managed to glean is that it was built in 1889, using recycled building materials previously used for the construction of pavilions in the 1989 Universal Paris Exhibition (the exhibition for which the Eiffel tower was built!). Ten years earlier apparently, the parcel of land was part of the Montmartre Cemetery, it was given over to the city but people were forbidden from digging or building foundations for ten years. A second phase of buildings was added in 1923.

The place is extraordinary with sculptures just dotted around.



I love these delicate figures.


Wall sculptures.




Ceramics.

Here is a view from one of the neighbouring flats. And what a view! I've also read that there was a blanchisserie/laundry in the Cité des Fusains, I wonder whether those glazed lofts were formerly the laundry.

The low cost of these ateliers at the time (apparently 450 - 700 francs) attracted many (now) famous artists. The cast list of artists includes Bonnard, Derain, Collamarini, Forain, Masson, Magritte, Dali, Jean Arp et Sophie Taeuber who lived or worked there between between 1922 à 1926. The properties are now sold for a small fortune, and are gradually being bought by wealthy city types as artists can no longer afford them. 

For ten years from 1925 Max Ernst had an atelier in the Cité des Fusains and Juan Miró worked there in 1927. In 1929 Georges Joubin created a short lived "École de Montmartre", where Pascin, Maurice Asselin, Creixams, Marcel Leprin studied.

Some of the alley ways in the Cité des Fusains are named after these artists. In this photo you can just about see the blue name plate 'Rue Forain'.

The little red bit of facade you see in the corner of the photo below is our place. One day when we are rich (never) and famous (yeah right), we shall buy one of the ateliers that join our house, and knock through. We may have a long wait!

LINKS
Montmartre.Secret  - Rue Tourlaque, Montmartre (in French).
Paris revolutionnaire, promenade sur la Butte Montmartre, 2ème partie (in French).

Paris revolutionnaire, Salvador Dali (in French).
Expert Paris - Cité des Fusains (in French)
Paris apart - Les FUSAINS a City of Artists in Paris in Guides, Art Books and Magazines