Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The artist's workshop building at 31-31bis rue Campagne-Première, located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, was designed in 1911 by architect André Arfvidson in an Art Nouveau style. Built in reinforced concrete and decorated with polychrome flammated ceramic stoneware by ceramicist Alexandre Bigot, it stands out for its 20 flats-lofts organized in duplex around an inner courtyard. These spaces, equipped with glass windows and elevators, offered a modern setting for artists, breaking with the traditional Haussmannian style.

This project is part of the development of artists' towns in Montparnasse, replacing Montmartre as a bohemian district. Promoted by Charles Henry Bréal, the building symbolizes the architectural innovation of the early 20th century, combining metal, concrete and Art Nouveau architecture. He won the 2nd prize in the Paris City Front Competition in 1912, and was enrolled in historical monuments in 1986.

The building welcomed major figures in art and culture, such as Caesar, Chaim Soutine, Man Ray, Dora Maar, or Ezra Pound. These workshops, forerunners of modern lofts, reflected a new way of living and working, attracting artists as well as intellectuals. Their spacious and luminous design influenced later architectural movements, such as Bauhaus or Art Deco.

After a restoration respecting its original style, the building remains today a testimony of the Parisian artistic effervescence of the early twentieth century. Although some elements are no longer original, its facade and roofs have been protected since 1986, thus preserving a unique heritage linked to Montparnasse's cultural history.

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