An entirely fresh study of how, at the end of the nineteenth century, the neighborhood of Montmartre in Paris inspired a vital, innovative and unique community of artists who revolutionized Western art.

After the 1871 Paris Commune, Montmartre played a significant political, social, and artistic role; its revolutionary spirit attracted independent artists, writers, and musicians. Its cabarets, cafés, circus, dancehalls, and theaters made Montmartre a popular cultural center.

Drawing on important artworks from the Weisman Collection and the Musée de Montmarte, Paris, as well as a wealth of archival photography, maps, and prints to illustrate its narrative text, this volume presents up to 180 stunning color illustrations, including paintings by Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Kees van Dongen, Otto Freundlich, Amedeo Modigliani, Suzanne Valadon, André Derain, Maurice Vlaminck, Henri Matisse, Juan Gris, and Frantisek Kupka, amongst many others at the center of Montmartre's artistic and cultural life during this period. A map of Montmartre showing the locations of studio spaces, residences and cabarets, and a selected bibliography provide important sources of new information for scholars.