ICFFS-Cultural Memory Program

My paper examines important changes in and perceptions of the urban culture of Paris during the first decades of the twentieth century by examining two artistic societies, the “Commune Libre de Montmartre” and the “République de Montmartre.” Initially these organizations, whose members included illustrators, song writers, painters, and poets, came together in the early 1920s to reassure themselves of the status of their long-established bohemian neighborhood as Paris’ artistic center. They did so because transformations were already underway that threatened to undermine that distinction. For one, other parts of the city, like Montparnasse, were becoming new headquarters for creative activity. But just as significant were the changes in the urban environment of post-World War I Paris. For the artists of Montmartre, the seedy and off-color character of their surroundings were integral to their view of art as a rebellion against bourgeois conventions. As they gathered in the cabarets of the eighteenth arrondisement to celebrate their art, they also spoke out against the ongoing development of Paris that threatened to assimilate further their ramshackle, semi-rural neighborhood into the modern, urban conglomeration which Paris was becoming in the early twentieth century. They also remembered an older vision of Montmartre that continued to animate their vision of the artists’ life. In doing so, they also reasserted the notion that the art which came from this area challenged, rather than affirmed, society’s norms.

Creating these organizations allowed Montmartre’s artists to engage in a set of political and social actions that offered residents of the neighborhood an alternative vision of life in a rapidly changing city. And their political style reflected the artistic values which they espoused. Beginning with their founding statements, the Commune Libre and the République employed jesting and sarcasm to get their points across. Indeed humor was always important to them as, for example, the République de Montmartre “declared war” on several nearby towns and sent boats full of sailors in French Revolutionary dress down the river to “conquer” their neighbors. However, their efforts were not limited to writing pungent manifestos that denounced the modern age or to dramatic, but seemingly meaningless, gestures. As these artistic societies began to put words into action, their activities took on a larger significance. They successfully organized their neighborhood into a cohesive community by inaugurating festivals, celebrations, and fairs which recreated the spirit of the “good old days,” and which often used French Revolutionary symbols and themes. They crafted an identity for Montmartre that was based on artistic integrity and what we might call “small town” values against the impersonal “big city” of which they were increasingly becoming a part. They also began to organize poor relief for children and families in the neighborhood -- an important task in a city still recovering from the devastation of four years of total war. Drawing on a longer tradition of artistic activism in Paris, their politics was not limited to symbolic protest but also actively attended to the material and psychological needs of their community. And it was always engaged in negotiating between the memories of the neighborhood’s past and the new patterns of urban development.

The stories of the Commune Libre de Montmartre and the République de Montmartre shed light on the larger history of post-war Paris by demonstrating many of the larger forces at work -- for example, changes in the physical space of the city (one of the “parties” in the Commune Libre was the “Anti-Skyscraper Party”), and the continuing commercialization of artistic activity. They also help to further illustrate the role of intellectuals in modern French history. Quite often, we think of intellectuals creating grand political or philosophical statements. However, these artists were engaged in local, small-scale political and social action of the kind that dealt less with overwhelming issues than they did with the immediate situation of real people. Finally, these stories reveal the ways in which competing urban identities were contested through powerful memories (including those of the Revolution) that were used to rally people together at moments of dramatic historical change.




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