FRED HÔTEL near Villa Seurat: discover an alley full of avant-garde style artist studios
FRED HÔTEL near Villa Seurat, hotel in Alésia, Paris, recommends you check out this public road in the Alésia neighbourhood at the heart of the 14th arrondissement of Paris. Lovers of art, architecture and off-the-beaten-path walks will be delighted to meander down this public road and see the homes and studios of several iconic artists.
Villa Seurat and its avant-garde architecture
Strolling down Villa Seurat, is a peek into the artistic soul of Paris, a universe marking the beginnings of modern architecture. The buildings side by side along this dead-end alley were mostly designed between 1924 and 1926 by the famous architect André Lurçat (1894 - 1970), well-known for being a member of the modern movement. Some of the buildings were designed by architect Auguste Perret (1874 - 1954).
With their sober, smooth, geometric, unadorned façades, often featuring large bay windows allowing daylight to flood into the workshops, the buildings erected in the alley mark a break with the architectural trends of the time, in keeping with the avant-garde artists who resided there. The Villa Seurat derives its name from the painter Georges Seurat (1859 - 1891), a neo-impressionist pioneer in pointillism.
Villa Seurat, an artists’ hub
At the start of the 20th century, when Paris was experiencing a true artistic and cultural ferment, the 14th arrondissement was a favourite haunt for the capital’s intellectuals, painters, sculptors, and writers.
It was in the heart of the Alésia neighbourhood that several of them chose to gather, in particular in Villa Seurat, which quickly became an artists’ hub. Jean Lurçat himself resided at number 4, while number 7 bis was the home and studio of the Russian sculptor Chana Orloff, which can still be visited today on appointment. Number 8, once the home of Mademoiselle Quillé, won’t go unnoticed with its somewhat garish yellow colour, and its cubism-like design. The painter Pierre Bertrand resided at number 5, and the writer Henri Miller, author of "Tropic of Cancer”, at number 18. At the entrance of the Villa Seurat, 101 rue de la Tombe Issoire was once the home of Salvador Dali.
FRED HÔTEL, close to the Villa Seurat, Alésia, Paris
Hotel near the Villa Seurat in the Alésia neighbourhood, is about a 15-minute walk or 20 minutes by bus from FRED HÔTEL to Villa Seurat.
On foot from FRED HÔTEL to the Villa Seurat, Alésia, Paris: From FRED HÔTEL, go to rue d'Alésia. Go down rue d'Alésia until you reach rue de la Tombe-Issoire on the right. The entrance to the Villa Seurat is at 101, rue de la Tombe-Issoire.
By bus from FRED HÔTEL to the Villa Seurat, Alésia, Paris : From FRED HÔTEL, go to rue d'Alésia. Go to the Alésia-Didot stop, take bus 62 direction Porte de France and get off at Alésia-Général Leclerc. Walk a few metres to reach rue de la Tombe-Issoire on the right.
If you’re coming from Paris, the nearest metro stop is Alésia on line 4. Several bus lines are also nearby: lines 88 and 216.
A quick side trip to Villa Seurat
After your walk, stop over at the impasse du Moulin Vert, a charming, off-the-beaten-track alleyway in the 14th arrondissement, easily accessible via bus line number 62, only 5 minutes from FRED hotel.
