It’s here you’ll find the original sign that hung in front of the Lapin Agile, or a piano from the legendary Chat Noir cabaret, original posters designed by Toulouse-Lautrec, and drawings by Steinlen and Poulbot. Not to mention intriguing temporary exhibits (recent ones include a Steinlen retrospective, and drawings by schoolchildren who saw and lived through the hard times of World War I from Montmartre’s heights).

To give you more insight into this exceptional museum, we decided to ask museum President Danièle Rousseau-Aicardi, and museum Secretary General Isabelle Ducatez, some questions, to which they very kindly gave interesting replies.

Chicline.com: What would you say is the Musée de Montmartre’s specialty?

Danièle Rousseau-Aicardi - Isabelle Ducatez: The specialty of the Musée de Montmartre is that it is an atypical museum, very Parisian, very “Frenchy”. The goal of the museum is fairly unusual, because it’s a very small site that retraces the history of Montmartre, especially its artistic heyday, which began in the middle of the 19th century. The museum itself was once a veritable nursery for artists so to speak; Auguste Renoir, Suzanne Valadon, and Maurice Utrillo, all stayed here. It’s a museum that is above all devoted to period documents and artifacts – we leave the major works of Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, and the likes, to the national museums. Our museum is more devoted to lesser-known artists who inspired and were influenced by these great artists, and contributed to the character of Montmartre. We also have thousands of archives and documents that relate to aspects of daily life in Montmartre’s past. The collection we possess is enormous.

Chicline.com: How do you reconcile the desire to preserve the warm, even familial, atmosphere of the museum, and the need to expand its exhibition spaces to be able to show more of this extensive permanent collection?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: That’s the big challenge that we’re about to face. The museum is located in the oldest house of Montmartre, a mansion that dates to the 17th century. The space is therefore very limited. Our vocation has always been to promote old artists. But soon, we’ll be able to devote a fairly large part of the museum to contemporary art and artists, thanks to new exhibition rooms in the neighboring building. By opening this new space, we’ll be able to double the exhibition area of the museum: the current museum will be devoted to permanent exhibitions on old Montmartre, while the new rooms will feature temporary exhibitions of more recent artists. These artists may be French, or even international. And so the museum will be able to keep the intimate, bucolic feel that our visitors like.

Chicline.com: How do you choose the subjects of temporary exhibitions?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: We’ve decided to have one or two temporary exhibitions per year. There are several criteria for choosing what they’ll be about: we want, for example, to render hommage to an artist on the occasion of an important birthday or date, or revisit the works of an artist who isn’t well-known today. We’re currently planning an exhibit for March 2006, on Spanish painter Juan Gris’ pre-Cubist works. We also organize exhibits called “dossiers,” which only take up part of the museum. Our current exhibit, “La Guerre des Crayons” [Ed: The War of Crayons: Montmartre Children’s Drawings of the First World War] , is a “dossier” that will end at the end of May. These “dossier” exhibitions cover themes or people that seem interesting to us, such as: Separation of Church and State, André Malraux, or Demetrios Galanis, a Greek painter and engraver who lived in Montmartre in the early 1900’s. Next October, we’ll also be participating in the Month of the Photo, with one or two rooms devoted to old photographs of Montmartre.

Chicline.com: Is the museum run by the City of Paris?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: The Musée de Montmartre isn’t a Museum of the City of Paris. It’s a private museum, that also is considered an official “Museum of France.” This means that the people in charge of the Museums of France have judged that our mission, devotion, and expertise deserve to be part of this prestigious group. The City of Paris, the Ministry of Culture, and the region have been extremely kind to us, because they have, it seems, really appreciated the work we’ve done over the last three years with the museum’s conservator. This recognition puts us in a very good standing in comparaision with much older museums. There are very few private museums in Paris, and this is because it’s very difficult to run such a museum, especially in terms of finances. As for us, we’ve decided to rent out a reception area and garden for business luncheons, weddings, fashion shows, etc. This service has turned out to be very popular, because the museum’s gardens offer a unique setting that works very nicely for seminars and private receptions.

Chicline.com: How many people visit the museum each day?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: We get at least 200 people per day. But some temporary exhibitions bring in a lot more than that. For example, 750 for our recent Steinlen exhibition! Our goal is to have at least 50,000 visitors annually in the coming years. Our museum is an important part of the 18th Arrondissement. For some, the museum isn’t just about Montmartre or the 18th Arrondissement, but Paris. This explains our good ranking in terms of visitor numbers and reputation among the museums of France. This high ranking truly reflects the enthusiasm and passion that our team has put into the museum over the last few years.

Chicline.com: Has the museum ever been featured on television, in France or internationally?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: We’ve had a number of visits from the major French television networks, like France 2 or France 3. A group from France 2 was recently here to see about using the museum for a location in an upcoming film. We’ve also been featured on a number of international television shows and news magazines, including ones in Belgium, America, Taiwan, and Korea, just to mention the most recent.

Chicline.com: With all this fame, has the museum attracted any celebrities?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: Yes, we have good relationships with certain celebrities, whether political personalities, or movie stars. For example, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of the famous film Amélie, filmed here on the Butte Montmartre.

Chicline.com: Do the museum’s artifacts, original posters, and paintings require special care?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: In fact, we have to be very careful with the works we have in our collection. Many of them can’t be displayed for a very long time, if we want to keep them in good condition. For example, light is an element that has to be carefully monitored and controlled so that a painting or poster doesn’t fade. Thus, we’ve established a rolling order of the objects and works in our permanent collection that are on display to the public. And we also have to watch out for the works and objects that we have in storage, as well!

Chicline.com: Do you have a favorite painting, poster, or artifact among those in the museum’s permanent collection?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: The major work for us at the museum, and the one that absolutely makes up the heart of the collection, is the large painting Parce Domine by Willette. This famous 19th century painter and caricaturist participated in the decoration of the Chat Noir, a café where numerous artists, such as Lautrec, Signac, Seurat, Pissarro, and Van Gogh mixed and mingled. We are also very fond of the original sign from the Lapin Agile, which is on permanent loan to us from the famous cabaret, which is located just around the corner from here.

Chicline.com: For you, what are the places and sites that a visitor to Montmartre shouldn’t miss?

Danièle R-A. - Isabelle D.: Our advice is to discover the secret, unknown Montmartre, off the beaten track. And, of course, come to the Musée Montmartre, a true jewel of the Butte, to discover the Montmartre of yesteryear and the numerous artists who gave it its reputation.