Musée du Montparnasse Shut by the City of Paris

A museum that celebrated the art historical richness of the Parisian area of Montparnasse has been shut by the City of Paris, Le quotidien de l’art reports.

Established in 1996 by Roger Pic, a local photographer who led a campaign against a real estate development planned for the site, the Musée du Montparnasse hosted temporary exhibitions and served as the area’s cultural center.

Currently owned by the City of Paris, the 4,600-square-foot building is located in the 21 Avenue de Maine, in Paris’s 15th arrondissement. The building was once the atelier of the Russian artist Marie Vassilieff, who worked there from 1912. It subsequently became an affordable canteen where artists who had studios in the area—including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, and Chaïm Soutine—hung out.

This is not the first time the City of Paris has targeted the Musée du Montparnasse. It was previously forced to close its doors in September 2013, following an audit ordered by the local government.

Despite having been deemed “a location emblematic of the artistic history of Paris,” by the City of Paris upon its launch, the audit claimed that the Musée du Montparnasse’s lack of permanent collection constituted grounds to revoke the original agreement.

QdA reports that the building will be taken over by Bétonsalon, an art and research organization, currently located in the 13th arrondissement.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.