Nearly 150 years old, Au Lapin Agile has stood the test of time without a single wrinkle. Clinging to the north side of Montmartre, this little cabaret is a rare witness to Parisian artistic life and the Butte's bohemian past.
This is where Picasso, Modigliani and Apollinaire used to meet, and this is where you can still listen to chanson à texte today. A look back at the history of this legendary Montmartre venue.
Originally, there was nothing bohemian about the building. Around 1795, it housed a simple relay called Au Rendez-vous des voleurs, then Cabaret des Assassins at the end of the 19th century, because of the engravings of criminals hanging on the walls. The turning point came when caricaturist André Gill painted a sign depicting a rabbit escaping from a cooking pot: a wink that quickly became the Lapin à Gill, then, as a play on words, Lapin Agile.
It was"Père Frédé", real name Frédéric Gérard, who gave the place its current vocation. A former chansonnier, he welcomed artists, poets and musicians to the cabaret, where anyone could sing a song, declaim a text or improvise a few notes. The cabaret became a veritable artistic hive, frequented by all the free spirits of Paris.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lapin Agile was already a must-visit venue. Pablo Picasso, a young, broke painter, immortalized the place in his painting Au Lapin Agile (1905), in which he depicts himself as a harlequin. Alongside him were Guillaume Apollinaire, Modigliani, Max Jacob and so many other souls in search of the absolute. But the most famous anecdote is that of thedonkey Lolo, a full-fledged resident of the place!
In 1910, writer Roland Dorgelès and his friends organized a hoax: they attached a paintbrush to Lolo's tail, and had her paint a canvas entitled Et le soleil s'endormit sur l'Adriatique, which they signed 'Joachim Raphaël Boronali', supposedly an Italian artist. The painting was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants to critical acclaim... before the deception was revealed.
Although the Lapin Agile almost disappeared at the outbreak of the First World War, it has managed to perpetuate its artistic past, thanks in part to Aristide Bruant , who bought it and ran it for a while. To this day, the cabaret offers evenings of unadorned French chanson and poetry. Brassens and Nougaro are sung, Prévert is declaimed, puns are played and Montmartre stories are told in between songs.
You don't come here for a big show, but for a simple evening with the artists. Just a stone's throw from Place du Tertre and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, this legendary little cabaret is a discreet jewel to be (re)discovered, as much for its historical value as for the warmth of its musical evenings.
The legendary addresses and historic sites of artistic and bohemian Montmartre
Perched high above Paris, Montmartre was the beating heart of artistic bohemia in the 19ᵉ and 20ᵉ centuries. Painters, poets and songwriters lived there freely between cabarets, studios and steep alleyways, leaving an eternal imprint on the soul of the capital. [Read more]
Location
Au Lapin Agile
22 Rue des Saules
75018 Paris 18
Official website
au-lapin-agile.com
The legendary addresses and historic sites of artistic and bohemian Montmartre
