Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée du Montparnasse, opened in 1998 in Villa Marie-Vassilieff, was set up in a private way in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the Chemin du Montparnasse. This place, the former workshop of the Russian painter and sculptor Marie Vassilieff, was transformed into a museum by the association Les amis du musée du Montparnasse, founded by Roger Pic and Jean-Marie Drot. Its objective, which was poorly publicized, was to preserve the artistic memory of Montparnasse, an emblematic part of the avant-gardes of the early twentieth century.

The closure of the museum in 2013 was decided by the City of Paris, owner of the premises, which refused to renew the lease. After a brief occupation by Le Musée de La Poste (2013-2014), Villa Vassilieff reopened in 2015 under the aegis of Bétonsalon, an art centre focused on visual arts and the history of the neighbourhood. This project, born from a call for applications, integrated artistic residences and curatorial research, before a definitive closure in 2020.

The museum's history reflects tensions between heritage preservation and municipal management. The villa, originally a place of creation for Vassilieff and his contemporaries (such as Modigliani or Chagall, although not mentioned in the source text), became a symbol of Montparnasse's cultural changes. His legacy remains marked by ephemeral initiatives, between historical memory and artistic renewal.

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