The Cabaret "le Lapin Agile" In Montmartre, Paris, And The Berlioz House, Oil On Canvas

The Lapin Agile: Bohemian Rendezvous. Located at 22 rue des Saules, the Lapin Agile is one of the oldest cabarets in Paris still in operation. In 1875, the caricaturist André Gill painted a sign depicting a rabbit escaping from a saucepan with a bottle of wine. People began saying "Gill's rabbit," which, through a play on words, became Le Lapin Agile (The Agile Rabbit). Under the direction of the famous Père Frédé (Frédéric Gérard), the establishment became the haunt of Picasso's "gang." Artists such as Picasso, Braque, Modigliani, and Utrillo frequented the place, as did writers like Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, and Pierre Mac Orlan. It was here that one of the most famous hoaxes in art history took place. To mock abstract art, a paintbrush was tied to a donkey's tail (Lolo) to paint a canvas entitled "And the Sun Fell Asleep on the Adriatic." The painting was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants and received serious criticism before the hoax was revealed. Just opposite, on the corner of Rue Saint-Vincent and Rue du Mont-Cenis, stood a now-demolished building (replaced by an apartment building in the 1920s) where the composer Hector Berlioz lived. The musician settled there between 1834 and 1837 with his wife, the Irish actress Harriet Smithson. This was a pivotal period for him; he sought peace and quiet away from the center of Paris to compose. It was during this time that he worked on major works such as Harold in Italy. At the time, the house offered an unobstructed view of the Plaine Saint-Denis. For artists of the late 19th century, passing by the "Maison Berlioz" on their way to the Lapin Agile cabaret was like paying homage to the ghost of French Romanticism. The painter Maurice Utrillo even immortalized it in several of his canvases, fascinated by its crumbling walls. While the Lapin Agile still stands, the Maison Berlioz has been demolished, but a commemorative plaque on the modern building marks its exact location. Canvas dimensions: 45 x 64.5 cm. Painting in good overall condition, needs cleaning.