Tour Montparnasse
Opening times:
9.30am–11.30pm daily (last lift 11pm), Apr–Sept;
9.30am–10.30pm daily (to 11pm Fri and Sat), Oct–Mar
Website:
www.tourmontparnasse56.comTel: 01. 45 38 52 56
9
Turn left onto Boulevard de Vaugirard and the Musée de la Poste will be on your right at No. 34. This small but interesting museum covers every aspect of the French postal service, including well-laid-out displays of postage-stamp art and the numerous methods of delivery. There is even a room dedicated to how post was delivered in times of war, it shows how carrier pigeons used to deliver letters during the Franco-Prussian War – they had postmarks stamped onto their wings.
Musée de la Poste
10
Return to Avenue du Maine and turn left. The Musée du Montparnasse will be on your right at No. 21. This delightful little museum opened in 1998 in the former studio of Russian-born artist Marie Vassilieff, who lived here in the early 20th century. The museum was founded by Roger Pic and Jean-Marie Drot as a non-profit organisation and highlights the area’s rich artistic tradition. It also hosts temporary exhibitions of Montparnasse artists, past and present.
Up to and during World War I, Marie Vassilieff operated what was registered as a private club; it acted as a canteen for the area’s many needy artists so they could eat and drink cheaply, which kept many of them going, including the likes of Picasso and Modigliani. The canteen soon gained a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas, and Fernand Léger even gave a number of lectures on Modern art here in 1913. The museum hosts monthly meetings and cultural events as part of its membership programme.
Musée du Montparnasse
Montparnasse
135
