The Bateau-Lavoir

The Bateau-Lavoir

The Bateau-Lavoir is the nickname of a historic building located at 13 Rue Ravignan in Paris’s Montmartre district. Its name means “laundry boat” because it resembles a boat used by washerwomen. This place became famous at the turn of the 20th century when a group of outstanding artists lived there and rented it as their studios. The first artists moved in during the 1890s, but many began relocating elsewhere after 1914.

One of the most famous residents of this place was Pablo Picasso (1904–1909), who lived here with his dog Fricka; it is said that he invented Cubism here and painted one of his greatest works, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Other notable artists who resided in the Bateau-Lavoir include Pablo Gargallo, Juan Gris, Max Jacob, Amedeo Modigliani, Léon-Paul Fargue, Sébastien Vachon, André Salmon, and Kees van Dongen, among others.

At the time, the building was a gathering place for many well-known avant-garde art figures, such as Guillaume Apollinaire, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, and Gertrude Stein. A celebratory banquet for Henri Rousseau was held in Picasso’s studio in the Bateau-Lavoir in 1908.

Le Bateau-Lavoir

Must-visit reason: One of the most renowned artistic hubs in Paris at the turn of the 20th century

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: France[France]

Province/State: Île-de-France Region [Ile-de-France Region]

City: Paris [Paris]