Musée Zadkine

The Russian-born sculptor Ossip Zadkine came to Paris in 1910. He established himself in what is now the Musée Zadkine in 1928, after the weight of his sculptures threatened to collapse the floor of his previous studio. 'I could never live on the second or third floor,' he wrote. 'The soles of my shoes have to scrape the ground'. At the rue d'Assas he was able to establish a large studio, where he displayed his sculptures in wood and stone, as well as a small adjoining workshop, in a peaceful garden setting. This was a period when many other artists were establishing themselves in Montparnasse, where rents were cheaper than Montmartre. Zadkine therefore found himself in the same community as friends and colleagues such as Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), Henry Miller (1891-1980) and Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968).

Ossip Zadkine left the studio to his wife, Valentine Prax, when he died in 1967, and she bequeathed the building and collection to the City of Paris at her own death in 1981. Visitors to the site today can see a rich collection of Zadkine's work in the setting he found so inspirational. The Musée Zadkine also offers a rare opportunity to view a sculptor's studio from the early twentieth century, as well as a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions.