Today's post features an ART Legend, and references a book that can help you find these historical places. This café has a history of supporting artists.
Lapin Agile, Artists' Café
One of the Montmartre cafés frequented by artists. The name shows on the white wall, and includes the pink building. Artists could trade their work for a meal at Lapin Agile, the Montmartre cabaret located at #22 on the steep and cobbled Rue des Saules, Paris. Pablo Picasso's 1905 oil painting, 'At the Lapin Agile', helped to make this cabaret world famous.
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| Lapin Agile, Artist's Cabaret, Montmartre, Paris, by DG Hudson |
Another Montmartre artist, Maurice Utrillo, also painted this cabaret. Steve Martin wrote a play in 1993, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, about an imaginary meeting between Picasso and Einstein. This café may offer authentic French songs, if our sources are correct.
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Finding places like this cafe is easier, with the book chosen for the letter, Q.
Q = Quick* Street by Street Guide to Painters in Paris
Or Guide des peintres a Paris, 2010
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| F. Gaussen,, Painters in Paris, front cover |
This Street Guide to painters' homes or studios covers the time between the early 1700s to the late 1900s. Yes, that's the young Picasso on the cover. To narrow your search, the book includes several itineraries: Impressionist, Picasso, Romantic, and Surrealist. The former Van Gogh residence, where Vincent and Theo lived is on the way uphill to Sacre Coeur. This book also includes many period photographs of the artists at work or in their natural settings, including the original Bateau Lavoire.
There is a statement in the opening pages which clarifies that no living artist's addresses are listed. The author of this book, Frederic Gaussen, formerly a journalist for the newspaper, Le Monde, is the author of several books on Parisian artists and their studios.
Published by Editions du Patrimoine
Centre des Monuments Nationaux
ISBN: 978-2-7577-0083-9 (29 Euros, purchased at the Arc de Triomphe)
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Would you walk about Paris to see the studios or works of famous artists? Do you visit the homes or studios of our literary ancestors at home or in other countries?
Please let me know you were here in the comments and thanks for dropping by! I'll respond.
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Disclaimer: I may have stretched the interpretation of the book title name to include the letter Q, and thereby fit the alpha requirements of the challenge. Creative license used.
Brought to you by the A to Z Blog Challenge 2014 Team and the originator: Lee of Tossing it Out. Click the A to Z list of participants and read on. Hope to see you again throughout the blogfest.
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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapin_Agile Wiki Lapin Agile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Lapin_Agile_par_Rapha%C3%ABl_Toussaint.jpg Another artist's depiction of the Lapin Agile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picasso_at_the_Lapin_Agile - Steve Martin's play
