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At the source of the famous “Déjeuner des canotiers”

2 inventions contributed to the emergence of Impressionism: the paint tube, making it easier to create outdoors, and the arrival of the railroads, making the countryside easily accessible from Paris. And in the 19th century, many painters sought inspiration outside the capital, like Renoir, who found the setting for his famous Déjeuner des canotiers in Chatou: the Maison Fournaise. The restaurant still exists, and is coupled with a museum inviting visitors to delve into the creation of this major work of art history.

A source of inspiration

An artistic movement marking the advent of modern art, Impressionism was far from universally acclaimed when it first appeared. Painters who replaced heroic subjects with motifs celebrating the beauty of nature, and abandoned the precision of line and color for free strokes, were totally misunderstood 150 years ago.

Fortunately, the initiators of this pictorial revolution were able to get away from the Parisian critics of official art thanks to the train, a mode of transport as modern as they were, taking them to the banks of the Seine throughout the Ile-de-France region.

Claude Monet immortalized the restaurant La Grenouillère in Croissy-sur-Seine, and Auguste Renoir painted his Déjeuner des canotiers in Chatou, on the theme of guinguettes celebrating the joie de vivre recovered after the tragic events of the Paris Commune.
In this town, where his friends Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro would join him for the weekend, the Maison Fournaise was the place to be.

The former gargote transformed by Alphonse Fournaise into a pretty restaurant around 1868 was naturally included in one of the 30 or so paintings he did in Chatou.

Today, this address of 19th-century Parisian art retains the bucolic charm of its origins, and even still offers canoeing, a very fashionable sport at the time, notably portrayed in paintings by Gustave Caillebotte, another of Renoir's close friends, or in literature by Guy de Maupassant, the writer even evoking this restaurant in his short stories, which is now protected as a Monument Historique. 

A journey back in time

Fancy a walk back in time to the days of crinolines and straw hats? 

It's possible at Musée Fournaise, which offers a modern, fun-filled immersion in this fascinating era, with a show trail featuring:

  • Virtual reality, bringing Renoir back to life and revealing, through him, the genesis of the painting he spent ten years developing.

  • Hologram of Alphonse Fournaise, the restaurant's founder, who posed (along with his daughter) for the painter and was one of his very first buyers.
A great success, reconciling modern techniques 
and the history of Impressionism.
Extrait livre d'or
  • VR headsets inviting visitors to see the site and its surroundings as experienced by the artists who temporarily escaped the capital.

  • Touch tablets and virtual creation screens, enabling visitors to “play” with the Déjeuner des canotiers (by searching for elements in the painting or creating their own painting in the same spirit).

The visit, which also includes “period rooms” such as the painter's studio and a bar, is a rich experience that appeals to adults and children alike. 
All can enjoy reliving, in situ, those legendary Impressionist years (the museum is located in the same building as the restaurant). 

“Renoir Impressioniste, the immersive experience”

To discover this tour that would certainly have seduced Renoir and his friends, visit the Maison Fournaise:
  • Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 12:30pm (1:30pm on weekends) and 2pm to 6pm.
  • Reservations: on site or online. 
  • Prices: €9 per person / €6 for under-18s / €7 concessions.
  • Access from Paris: RER A station Rueil-Malmaison or Chatou-Croissy or freeways A14 then A86.

Enjoy your time travel.

Valérie from Comme des Français



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