Montmartre Museum: Dive into Art and History

With Parisi Tour, enjoy a guided tour of the gardens and museum to discover this charming place nestled in the heart of Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.

The Musée de Montmartre offers a glimpse of what life was like in Montmartre in the 19th century, and perhaps even before. A whimsical museum full of little treasures, as well as a reconstructed artist's studio, the Musée de Montmartre may not be the most glamorous of Parisian museums... but it's certainly the most nostalgic.

The original house was built at some point during the 17th century. It has remained in place ever since, witnessing revolutions, major political movements and many changes in the art world. Founded in 1960 as a museum, it was officially recognised as a Musée de France in 2003.

A secret place in Montmartre

The museum is one of those well-kept secrets of Montmartre, and has remained so for decades (and hopefully for years to come). Today, this cultural space is one of the best small museums in Paris.

The Musée de Montmartre was created in 1960 in the oldest structure in Montmartre, built in the 17th century, and houses a collection of paintings, posters and drawings by Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, Kupka, Steinlen, Valadon, Utrillo and others.

The workshops at 12-14 rue Cortot were once meeting places and hosted many artists, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Charles Camoin, Émile-Othon Friesz, Raoul Dufy, Émile Bernard, Suzanne Valadon, and Maurice Utrillo.

Stroll through the museum and relive the history of the district, the lively art scene in its studios and the atmosphere of its famous cabarets. The Hôtel Demarne, a beautiful residence from the Directoire period, has been completely reinvented to house temporary exhibitions and the Café Renoir.

Just a stone's throw from Place du Tertre, the three Renoir gardens surround the Montmartre Museum and overlook the local vineyards, offering an exceptional view of the Montmartre Vineyard and, even further, the vast plains to the north of Paris.

The collections of the museum

The museum's collections belong to the Le Vieux Montmartre association, set up in 1886, and include paintings, photographs, posters and manuscripts tracing the history of the district, its effervescence, bohemia and cabarets in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The collection includes Le Cabaret du Chat Noir by Steinlen, Bruant au Mirliton, Le Divan Japonais or Le Moulin Rouge by Toulouse-Lautrec, La Place Pigalle by Maurice Utrillo, L'Autoportrait de Suzanne Valadon, Parce Domine by Willette, L'enseigne du Lapin Agile and the magnificent Théâtre d'ombres by Henri Rivière.

While visiting the Montmartre Museum with Parisi Tour, discover below the main places you will be able to explore.

Paint splatters all over the office. Oil clothes are draped over various pieces of furniture and canvases are stacked in every available nook and cranny. With this imaginary recreation of Renoir's studio, it's easy to imagine that Renoir went out to lunch, or perhaps to take a breath of fresh air between brushstrokes.

The small landscaped garden is named after the house's most famous resident. From here, in this quiet little corner, you can see the green hills outside the Paris ring road (a rarity in Paris proper), as well as one of the city's newest vineyards.

There is a water lily pond, a terraced courtyard and numerous landscaped borders. In summer, the flowers fill the air and the place is never very full. Sit back and relax for a while in this little haven of peace in the middle of a busy neighbourhood.

The museum complex and the Renoir gardens overlook Clos Montmartre, one of the city's last vineyards. Few people are aware of its existence, but it's a unique place that you really shouldn't miss!

Access to the vineyards is only available to connoisseurs, or when the estate opens its doors for one day a year (during the Montmartre grape harvest festival).

However, a visit to the Jardins de Renoir, behind the Musée de Montmartre, will allow you to get as close as possible to the vines.

You got it, the Montmartre Museum and its surroundings are a true paradise, right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. Still relatively unknown to the general public, it has retained its charm over the years and will not leave you indifferent.

You want to organize an event in a magnificent setting? With Parisi Tour, you have the possibility to privatize the museum for a day or an evening. Contact us for more information.