There is more to Montmartre than the famed Pigalle hot red center - hot as in sexy - although with the French canicule (heat wave) at his worst right now, it's literally hot! hot! hot! in Paris, but that will not last, no worries.
Montmartre was always a favorite place of artists of all sorts but more specifically adored by painters of all kinds. Amateurs, pros, Sunday painters, silhouette drawers, watercolor detailers, oil specialists.... crayons, collages, vignettes, carved wood, engraved glass, and many other crafts have found takers for hundreds of years on the hill of the city.
As Montmartre is indeed a hill, with the best views of the city reached by the steep stairs to the sky. The hill even has its own funicular to take visitors to the top where the majestic Sacré-Cœur Basilica stands overlooking the flocks with dignity.
Hidden away in a rustic cobbled street around the back of the Sacré-Cœur church, the museum is a whimsical parcel of the charming architecture of houses perched on the heights of the Butte Montmartre.
The simple country-like museum is formed by several old buildings - some three centuries old - including the Hotel Demarne and the Maison du Bel Air. Several famous artists and writers such as the renowned Renoir, Utrillo, Dufy, Poulbot, and a string of others lived and worked here - some claiming worldwide fame, some more obscure.
A romantic spot in the city, the village museum showcases paintings, lithographs, and documents illustrating the area's bohemian, artistic and hedonistic past. One of the rooms displays only French cancan art. Several ateliers can be visited, most exemplify well how these artists lived and painted, in large high ceiling workshops with walls of windows.
Many of the artists were in residence, some were passing and using the glass ateliers to work in glowing natural light offered by the unobstructed nature around. Celebrating Montmartre as the fertile place it was, fostering artists and thinkers that made the neighborhood famous, the visit will take you back in a time of peace and quiet in synch with the trees and flowers around.
The surrounding gardens have been designed following master Renoir's own paintings. They overlook the famous Montmartre vineyard, which has existed since the Middle Ages and was replanted in 1933. Illustrious for its location, the wine it produces is reputably, hum, not the best in Paris.
Also on the gentle slopes of the neighborhood, the historical Lapin Agile cabaret is still hosting music and songs every night but Mondays at 9 p.m., with dancing and audience participation in a homestyle show. This is where artists came to gather and smoke, and drink, and sing. Still going on today.
Info:
Musée de Montmartre Jardins Renoir
10-12 rue Cortot - 75018 Paris
Métro: Montmartre - La Chapelle
Entrance: €9.50 for adults / €5.50 (10-17yrs)
Admission includes an audio guide.
Open all year every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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