La Ruche (residence) facts for kids
La Ruche (which means "the beehive" in French) was once a special home for artists in the Montparnasse area of Paris. It got its name because its unique round shape made it look a lot like a giant beehive! Today, La Ruche is still a lively place. It provides studios for about fifty artists and often holds art exhibitions that everyone can visit.
The Story of La Ruche
La Ruche is located in a part of Paris called the 15th arrondissement. It's an old building with three floors and a circular design. It wasn't always an artist's home, though. Originally, it was a temporary structure built by Gustave Eiffel (who also designed the Eiffel Tower!) for the big World's Fair in Paris in 1900. It was used as a place to show wine.
After the World's Fair, a kind sculptor named Alfred Boucher (1850–1934) bought the building. He took it apart and then put it back together in a new spot. His goal was to create affordable studios for young artists who needed a place to live and work. He also wanted to help them by sharing models for their art and creating a space where they could show their work to others. Because the rent was very low, La Ruche became a home for many different kinds of people, including artists who were just starting out.
Life at La Ruche was simple and cheap. Artists didn't have to worry about being kicked out if they couldn't pay rent right away. If they were hungry, many would go to a place run by artist Marie Vassilieff. She had a "cantine" (like a small cafeteria) where artists could get a meal and chat with their friends. For example, the Russian painter Pinchus Kremegne arrived in Paris with very little money and only knew two French words: "Passage Dantzig." But that was all he needed to find his way to La Ruche!
Famous Artists of La Ruche
Just like another famous artist spot in Paris called Montmartre, La Ruche became a hub for incredible artistic talent. Many famous artists lived or spent time there in the early 1900s. Some of these include Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brâncuși, Diego Rivera, and Fernand Léger. Other well-known names who were part of the La Ruche community include Guillaume Apollinaire, Alexander Archipenko, Joseph Csaky, Ossip Zadkine, Moise Kisling, Max Pechstein, Nina Hamnett, Jacques Lipchitz, Pinchus Kremegne, Max Jacob, Blaise Cendrars, Chaïm Soutine, Robert Delaunay, and many more.
Today, the artworks created by some of these artists, who were often quite poor when they lived at La Ruche, are now worth millions of dollars!
During World War II, La Ruche faced tough times. Later, in the 1960s, there was a big building boom in Paris, and developers wanted to tear La Ruche down. But many famous people, including the writer Jean-Paul Sartre and the artist Alexander Calder, stepped in to help save it. Thanks to their support, new management took over in 1971. They worked to preserve La Ruche and keep it as a place for artists to have working studios.
While you can't usually go inside the studios at La Ruche, many people say that just seeing the outside of the building is worth a visit!
See also
- Le Bateau-Lavoir, another famous artist residence in Montmartre, Paris.
