National Architecture Days 2026: Two studios, one shared history

The Cité Falguière studio complex was built on the initiative of sculptor Jules-Ernest Bouillot, by artists for artists, notably Atelier 11 in 1875. A practitioner for Alexandre Falguière, Bouillot wanted to build low-cost studios for struggling artists. The studios were built on the ruins of an old brickyard and were mostly conceived as spaces for sculptural production.

Over the decades, artists from around the world gravitated toward the Cité Falguière, including Amedeo Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine, and Tsuguharu Foujita. Among them was Oscar Miestchaninoff, who lived and worked there from 1912 to 1923: a rustic, poor place, full of charm, but almost in ruins, reflecting the precariousness of the many artists who stayed there at the beginning of the 20th century. It is perhaps this very destitution that led him, a few years later, to seek a radically different studio: spacious, new, and resolutely modern.

After frequenting the same artistic community in Montparnasse, Miestchaninoff and Lipchitz joined forces in 1923 to build their own studios, this time in Boulogne-Billancourt. With architect Le Corbusier, whom they met in 1921 during a painting sale, they commissioned two studio-houses, for both of them, adjacent at the corner of the Allée des Pins and the Rue des Arts; thus continuing the spirit of sharing from the Cité Falguière community.

The houses designed by Le Corbusier offer generous and airy creative spaces: installed on the ground floor to facilitate the handling of sculptures, each has a double-height ceiling and large North-facing glass walls for constant light throughout the day. Upstairs, the apartments are hollowed out of the studios, similar to the layout of the Cité Falguière studios. These small family spaces were complemented by a rooftop terrace overlooking the garden shared by both dwellings. Miestchaninoff's house, the larger of the two, is distinguished by its rounded turret housing the staircase. The complex applies the principles of purist architecture and was registered as a Historical Monument in 1975.

In accordance with this year's National Architecture Days theme, "Rehabilitating: building the future," the renovation project of Atelier 11 will allow for international artistic residencies, thus continuing the artistic legacy of the Cité Falguière, whose uninterrupted occupation for 150 years makes it one of the oldest artist studios in the world.

The rehabilitation project, designed by a transatlantic team of architects in close consultation with artists, highlights the original architectural elements, such as the composition of the iconic facades, the double-height space opened by a mezzanine, and the timber roof trusses. The rearrangement of the interior spaces will allow for a more functional distribution to share the studio among several artists. This rehabilitation also integrates new, ambitious insulation and heating systems to bring the building into the current environmental and thermal reality. A place that, like the Lipchitz-Miestchaninof studio-house in Boulogne-Billancourt in its day, will know how to age better with its own.

The tour thus compares two artist studios, a century apart and a few kilometers from each other: Atelier 11, a vestige of a bohemian and precarious era in Montparnasse, and the Lipchitz-Miestchaninof studio-house in Boulogne-Billancourt, a manifesto of modernity conceived by one of the greatest architects of the 20th century. Between the two, the evolving needs of artists are expressed, raising a fundamental question: how to adapt a place of creation to the challenges of tomorrow without taking away its soul? For Atelier 11, the answer lies in a thoughtful and essential restoration: carrying out urgent modernization work to preserve the building while respectfully safeguarding the living memory of the place.

Perpetuating an artistic legacy

During the visit, you will also be able to discover the work of Vanessa Brown, currently in residence at Atelier 11 with L'AiR Arts, an association that perpetuates the artistic legacy of the Cité Falguière. She operates at the intersection of sculpture, video, and installation. Her practice consists of transmitting her subjective experiences through specific materials—notably those charged with history, such as metal and glass—that favor a direct relationship to artisanal craftsmanship.