The Maison Fournaise of Chatou !!!

Posted in Europe, Food and Wine, France, Versailles

I need to tell you about this wonderful town with a picture found in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, This is wonderful artsy Chatou in my old  Yvelines  dept 78 in the Île de France region of my belle France, This City is a world apart home of the impressionists painters of fame, Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Maison Fournaise of Chatou !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The Maison Fournaise restaurant-hotel was frequented by Auguste Renoir, who painted numerous canvases there, including portraits of the Fournaise family, landscapes of the surrounding area, and in particular his famous painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party (Le Déjeuner des canotiers) in 1880, followed by The Two Sisters (Les Deux Sœurs) in 1881. Guy de Maupassant playfully described the atmosphere of the establishment in La Femme de Paul (The wife of Paul) under the name of the Grillon restaurant. Many Impressionist and plein air painters, who came to live and paint in the area, frequented the Fournaise. Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Gustave Caillebotte were among those who came to meet there. Some, like Maurice Réalier-Dumas, contributed to the decoration of the rooms and the main facade. Others were Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, and Édouard Manet, etc In the upper rooms, the Fournaise Museum opened in 1992. It houses a collection of paintings and documents relating to the history of the house and the golden age of the Seine riverbanks.  It also presents exhibitions focusing on contemporary artistic movements of the Impressionist period.

The first Maison Fournaise house was built in 1844, at the foot of the then-stone road bridge. At that time, there was already a wine merchant’s business there, namely a small restaurant and a shipyard for timber and boats. In 1857, Alphonse Fournaise, a bridge master, bought everything to open a restaurant, where he was assisted by his wife Louise, and a boat rental business, reflecting the changing times. Chatou then became a popular boating destination. Over the years, Alphonse Fournaise modified the house several times, enlarging it and replacing the wooden balcony railing with cast iron. The island became a fashionable spot where all of Paris liked to go during the summer months. Closed at the beginning of the 20C, the Maison Fournaise gradually declined over the decades. The town of Chatou acquired the property in 1979. In 1984, it was restored at the initiative of the town of Chatou, with funding from the French government, the Regional Council, the Departmental Council, and two associations: the Friends of the Fournaise House and an American association, Friends of French Art. In 1990, the Maison Fournaise returned to its original purpose with the opening of a restaurant.

The official Musée Fournaise : https://www.musee-fournaise.com/decouvrir-le-musee/

The City of Chatou on the Maison Fournaise:  https://www.chatou.fr/mes-loisirs/culture/la-maison-fournaise-lhistoire-dun-phenix/

The local Seine Saint Germain tourist office on Chatou : https://www.seine-saintgermain.fr/en/towns-and-villages/land-of-artists/chatou/

There you go folks, a wonderful gorgeous area of my former Yvelines and worth the detour indeed, This is what leisure life and culture is all about, Chatou is it, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Maison Fournaise of Chatou !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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