The famous Paris neighborhood of Montmartre has long been known for its artists, bohemian types and other hangers-on. This hilly neighborhood or ‘butte’ was originally a small village outside of the city and in the 19th century the area began to attract painters and sculptors because of its low rents and proximity to Paris. The name Montmartre is probably derived from martyrs who were killed in the area around 250 AD. Supposedly, around this time, St Denis brought Christianity to Paris, and was promptly beheaded. You can see a statue of the headless St. Denis in the square Suzanne-Buisson. Montmartre retains much of its character today as it was also one of the few areas of Paris that escaped the urban renewal by Haussmann that gave the rest of the city its wide boulevards.  

Some of the most famous Names in Art

     Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Utrillo, Pissaro and many other famous names all lived and worked in the area. You can still see a number of the houses and studios where they created some of the most famous paintings in the world, and many individual buildings and streets still look familiar today from these same paintings.

     These days the artists are just as persistent as ever, in the narrow and crowded streets of the area. Take a stroll through the touristy Place du Tertre, the center of this charming arrondisement, and you will be lucky if you are not accosted by one of dozens of ‘quick-draw’ portrait painters who just won’t take no for an answer. Many shops and galleries in Montmartre sell prints and paintings created by local artists, as well as reproductions of more famous works.

The Place du Tertre

     A good place to begin any artistic tour of Montmartre is the picturesque Place du Tertre, surrounded by artists hunched over their easels trying to earn a living, as well as cafes and restaurants with outdoor tables. You can buy paintings directly from the artists themselves, where haggling over the price is expected – and part of the fun. There is a small tourist information office on the corner of the square. You may find the Place du Tertre crowded, but in fact regulations govern the amount of art that is for sale here – 2 paintings per square meter.

     If you need a break, one of the best places to eat and drink in the Place du Tertre is the restaurant ‘A la Mere Catherine’. This was once the haunt of Russian Cossacks who, while waiting to be served would shout ‘bistro!’ meaning ‘quickly!’ – which gave us the word bistro.

Two Excellent Museums

     A short walk towards the rear of the butte, on Rue Cortot is the small but fascinating Museum of Montmartre. The museum is housed in a 17th century house, where Renoir once had a modest studio, and produced some of his most famous paintings. The lower floor of the museum captures the history and artistic legacy of the area in rooms of old photos, paintings and drawings. The museum’s upper floors contain exhibits relating to the artists who occupied the house at one time or another. The museum is usually uncrowded and can be seen in less than an hour. Visiting the museum is a bit like looking through a particularly well-stocked attic.

      Another museum that is worth a visit - but perhaps only if you are a big admirer of the surrealist artist Dali’s often disturbing work - is the Espace Salvador Dali. This small museum tucked away on a street on the front of the Place du Tertre, has a permanent exhibition of more than 300 paintings, drawings and sculptures by Dali, including his famous lithograph of Don Quixote. The exhibits are housed in a large subterranean room, and strangely lit, so the effect is a little bit odd. There is also a gift shop selling original works if you want to spend some serious money on art.

Picasso, Utrillo, van Gogh and others…

     A few minutes stroll from the museum will take you to the Place Emile-Goudeau, one of the delightful and charming smaller squares of the neighborhood. At no. 13 is the Bateau-Lavoir, a small art studio that many artists, including Picasso and Modigliani once called home. Picasso painted one of his most famous and controversial paintings, Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon here, a painting widely considered to be one of the first cubist paintings. The original building was burnt down but replaced in 1978 and still has about 25 artists and sculptors studios. You can see – and purchase - their work which is displayed in the large showroom. Another building of artistic interest close to here is the building where Picasso had his first studio in Paris (49 Rue Gabrielle)

     A few minutes walk downhill from the square you can see the rather drab-looking apartment building where Vincent Van Gogh lived for several years in the 1880’s. (54 Rue Lepic) Further along the street there is a lovely garden hidden away behind high walls and in one of these houses the surrealist painter Max Ernst lived. (75 Rue Lepic) Take a good guidebook along with you if you walk through the area - for the most part there are no signs or plaques on the walls of these buildings indicating their artistic legacy.

     Windmills are another unique feature of the area and have been immortalized on canvas many times. On the corner of Rue Lepic and Avenue Junot you can still see the picturesque windmill, Moulin de la Galette, now part of a restaurant. The windmill was the subject of one of Renoir’s most famous paintings, which can be seen in the Musee d’Orsay.

     Towards the top of the butte, not far from the Montmartre vineyard, you can still find the ‘Pink House’ the subject of one of Utrillo’s most well-known paintings, (2 Rue de l’Abreuvoir) and something of a local landmark. If you need sustenance after climbing up and down all those steep staircases that the neighborhood is noted for, the house is now a small cafe. Utrillo also made several studies of a nearby road called Mont Cenis; on this street a building painted bright red has written on it ‘Utrillo painted this’.

Toulouse Lautrec and the ‘scandalous’ Moulin Rouge

     Perhaps the most famous Montmartre artist of them all was Toulouse-Lautrec. He managed to accurately capture the twilight world of the prostitutes, artists and of course the famous dancing girls at the Moulin Rouge. The show is not as scandalous as it once was but a visit to the spectacular floor show at the Moulin Rouge is still a unique – if expensive - Parisian experience. And the distinctive red windmill sails still turn slowly on top of the building, making this perhaps the world’s most famous and most photographed nightclub

      No doubt about it, Montmartre is overcrowded, overpriced and overrun with souvenir shops. But away from the tourist filled Place du Tertre, down some of the more picturesque side streets you can still feel the spirit of some of the greatest names in art.