1. The Bateau-Lavoir (1904-1909) — where Les Demoiselles d'Avignon were born
Picasso arrived in Paris in 1900, made several short stays, and settled durably from 1904 at the Bateau-Lavoir — a wooden building at the top of rue Ravignan, on the current place Émile-Goudeau, in the 18th arrondissement. Five years that mark the transition between the rose period and the beginning of cubism.
It is in this studio that he met Fernande Olivier (1904), that he frequented Apollinaire, Max Jacob, Juan Gris, Modigliani, and where he painted in 1907 the breakthrough painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The original Bateau-Lavoir burned down in 1970; rebuilt in 1978, it still hosts about twenty artists today.
Address: 13 place Émile-Goudeau, 75018 Paris. Metro: Abbesses (12). Visit: façade and commemorative window only.
2. 11 boulevard de Clichy (1909-1912)
In 1909, Picasso and Fernande Olivier left the Bateau-Lavoir to settle in a flat-studio at 11 boulevard de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement. The building — a former mansion of the Wallet then Théophile Delcassé families — houses in inner courtyard artists' studios in timber framing typical of the neighbourhood.
The address has a dense earlier artistic history: Sarah Bernhardt had lived there from 1873 to 1877, Auguste Renoir between 1887 and 1890. Picasso's apartment overlooked the place Pigalle. It is there that analytical cubism developed, with Georges Braque coming to work daily by his side. Picasso left the apartment in 1912 to follow Eva Gouel to Montparnasse.
Address: 11 boulevard de Clichy, 75009 Paris. Metro: Pigalle (2, 12). Visit: façade only (private building).
3. Montparnasse (1912-1936) — the break with Pigalle
In 1912, Picasso left Pigalle for Montparnasse, which became the new centre of Parisian creation after the First World War. Successively: 242 boulevard Raspail (1912-1913), 5 bis rue Schœlcher (1913-1916, near the Montparnasse cemetery), 22 rue Victor-Hugo in Montrouge (1916-1918), then 23 rue La Boétie (1918, in the 8th).
4. The Grands-Augustins studio (1937-1955) — where Guernica was born
Picasso settled in 1937 at 7 rue des Grands-Augustins in the 6th arrondissement — a vast studio on the top floor where he painted that same year Guernica. He stayed there during the Occupation, and kept the studio until his definitive move to the south of France in 1955.
"When you step through the porch, what strikes you most is the silence. You feel as if you were in the countryside. A small bucolic paradise, a preserved space. Sixteen artists' studios, a paradise of greenery."
The real Montmartre. A hidden treasure. — The courtyard-studios of 34 boulevard de Clichy.
Walking itinerary: Picasso in Pigalle / Montmartre (90 minutes)
- Pigalle metro — starting point.
- 11 boulevard de Clichy (1909-1912) — apartment with Fernande Olivier.
- 34 boulevard de Clichy (200 m away) — heritage detour: Manet, Pottier, Hella Guth, Feitu (Picasso did not live there, but the investigation on the studios of the neighbourhood completes the context).
- Rue des Abbesses — uphill to the Butte.
- Place Émile-Goudeau / Bateau-Lavoir (1904-1909) — where Les Demoiselles d'Avignon were painted.
- Place du Tertre — to evoke the bohemian atmosphere of the period.
- Sacré-Cœur — panoramic view over Paris.
Frequently asked questions
Did Picasso live on boulevard de Clichy?
Yes, but at n°11 boulevard de Clichy (Paris 9th), not at n°34. Picasso and Fernande Olivier lived at 11 boulevard de Clichy from 1909 to 1912, in a flat-studio of the former Wallet then Théophile Delcassé mansion. It is also at this address, not at n°34, that Sarah Bernhardt (1873-1877) and Auguste Renoir (1887-1890) had previously lived. The 34 boulevard de Clichy (Paris 18th) is a distinct address with its own cycle of occupants: Manet, Pottier, Dargaud, Hella Guth, Pierre-Luc Feitu, Henri Marre.
Where did Picasso paint Les Demoiselles d'Avignon?
Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907 in his studio at the Bateau-Lavoir, place Émile-Goudeau (13 place Émile-Goudeau, 75018 Paris, Abbesses metro). He lived there from 1904 to 1909, the so-called rose period and beginning of cubism. It is also there that he met Fernande Olivier, and frequented Apollinaire, Max Jacob, Modigliani, Juan Gris.
What are all of Picasso's Paris addresses?
Picasso successively occupied: the Bateau-Lavoir (place Émile-Goudeau, 1904-1909), 11 boulevard de Clichy (1909-1912), 242 boulevard Raspail (1912-1913), 5 bis rue Schoelcher (1913-1916), 22 rue Victor-Hugo in Montrouge (1916-1918), 23 rue La Boétie (1918-1930s), and the Grands-Augustins studio (7 rue des Grands-Augustins, 1937-1955) where he painted Guernica. Some less documented mentions place him also at 130 boulevard de Clichy in 1901.
What is the difference between 11 and 34 boulevard de Clichy?
11 boulevard de Clichy is in the 9th arrondissement, on place Pigalle; this was the Wallet then Delcassé mansion that hosted Picasso (1909-1912), Sarah Bernhardt (1873-1877) and Renoir (1887-1890). 34 boulevard de Clichy is in the 18th arrondissement, further west on the boulevard; it has its own cycle of occupants: Reichshoffen Brasserie painted by Manet (1878-1879), studio of Eugène Pottier (1880-1887), studios of Dargaud, Henri Marre, Pierre-Luc Feitu, Hella Guth, Michel Batlle. A frequent confusion — the two addresses are 200 metres apart.