Maison-Atelier de Daubigny

Born in Paris into a family of painters, Charles-François Daubigny spent many years painting directly from nature, often from his so-called 'Botin', a mobile studio-boat, which he took up and down the Seine. His meeting with Camille Corot (1796-1875) would be a definitive moment in his career, and the two men remained close friends throughout their lives.

Daubigny purchased the land in Auvers-sur-Oise in 1860, and set about transforming it into a studio-home. His friend, architect Achille-Francois Oudinot, was commissioned to design the building, which became a single-storey construction with large windows opening out into nature. Over the course of the next decade, Daubigny and his artist friends, including Corot, and Honoré Daumier, set about decorating the walls of the house, in particular the studio, which became a shared artistic project. The decorative scheme can still be seen in the house today. As well as the studio, with its custom-designed fireplaces and friezes, it includes the fairy-tale paintings created by Daubigny for his daughter Cécile. The site was restored in the 1980s and was designated among the French 'Maisons des Illustres' in 2014, and classed as a historical monument. Among the projects planned for the future are the recreation of Daubigny's famous 'Botin', which will offer visitors an insight into Daubigny's famous technique of painting en plein air.