Unspecified/General

The studio-museum of Chana Orloff preserves the working home of one of the most accomplished sculptors of the School of Paris, kept much as she left it in a quiet cul-de-sac in the fourteenth arrondissement. Born in Ukraine in 1888 and arriving in Paris as a young woman, Orloff became a celebrated portraitist and sculptor in the lively artistic world of Montparnasse, counting many leading figures of the day among her sitters and friends. In 1926 she commissioned the architect Auguste Perret, a pioneer of reinforced concrete, to design a combined house and studio on the Villa Seurat, and it is this building, with its tall north-facing studio window, that now opens to the public. Run by her descendants, the museum displays a large collection of her sculptures in wood, bronze and stone, together with drawings, personal possessions and the tools of her trade, all in the rooms where they were made. Because the house survived the Second World War despite being looted while Orloff, who was Jewish, fled to Switzerland, it carries the weight of that history as well as the intimacy of an artist's private space. Visits are usually by appointment or guided tour in small groups, which gives the place a hushed, personal atmosphere quite unlike a large public gallery. Its setting on the Villa Seurat, a street lined with artists' houses by Perret and others, adds architectural interest for those who seek it out. People come to discover an important but under-celebrated sculptor, to see her work in its original context, and to step inside a rare surviving example of an early modern artist's studio. For lovers of sculpture, of Montparnasse history or of twentieth-century architecture, it offers a rewarding and atmospheric detour from the busier museums of the city. Because access is usually by appointment or scheduled guided visit, planning ahead through the museum is essential, and the small groups mean the experience is unhurried and personal. The knowledgeable guides bring Orloff's life and circle vividly to life, and the chance to stand in a genuine artist's studio of the period, rather than a reconstruction, gives the visit a rare authenticity that lingers in the memory.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 7 bis Villa Seurat, Paris, France