Imagine stepping back in time. Impasse Husson is not just a street. It is a portal. It whispers tales of artists and tranquility.
The Impasse Husson whispers tales from the late 19th century. Vaugirard a former town became part of Paris in 1860. It was a suburban neighborhood then. Gardens houses and dirt roads still existed. Urbanization had not erased everything. This was a godsend for sculptors. They sought open spaces and one-story lodging.
Artists residences started appearing in Impasse Husson. It later became Rue Antoine-Bourdelle in 1930. Sculptors worked on the ground floor. Painters set up studios above. Impasse Husson was a narrow passageway. Small gray buildings bordered it. Stalls and warehouses were common. It was a muddy road. Disjointed pavement filled with puddles. Rain made it worse.
A critic noted something interesting. Clients of high-society painters would never dare go down there. Its tranquility stood in contrast. It was unlike the hustle of the train station. It differed from the excitement of boulevards. Birds sang. Children played in the street. Chickens pecked between cobblestones. It felt like a provincial small town. This was a short walk from Rue de Rennes.
Antoine Bourdelle loved it. He wrote to an acquaintance in Montauban. He described a huge garden. It measured approximately six by seven meters. It contained all types of trees. Rose bushes carnations and more thrived. He woke up to delightfully deafening squawking. Sparrows filled the house. Another critic was bewitched. He loved the fragrant blossoming of lilacs and apple trees. The atmosphere fostered work and meditation.
Bourdelle settled in the back of Impasse Husson in January 1885. He chose number 16. Pierre Auguste Paillard a carpenter rented new studios. Bourdelle trained with Jules Dalou. Dalou was his neighbor from number 18.
Across the street at number 11 lived other sculptors. Jean Turcan practiced for Auguste Rodin. He transposed The Kiss in marble. Georges Récipon created the Quadrigas. They take flight from the Grand Palais. Augustin Antonini was Bourdelle’s founder. José de Charmoy lived at number 9. He created the Monument to Baudelaire. It was inaugurated at the Montparnasse cemetery in 1902.
Number 16 teemed with artists. The painter Eugène Carrière visited briefly from 1886 to 1887. The sculptor Jules Cambos stayed longer from 1886 to 1914. Some neighbors became friends. Painters René Prinet and Orville Root were among them. Gaston Toussaint a student of Bourdelle lived inside the house.
Over time Bourdelle grew successful. He started taking over studios at number 16. Then he acquired others in Impasse Husson. His monumental production required workspace and storage.
Sandor Kémeri wrote in 1928. He said nothing had disturbed the quiet of this place. The peaceful serenity of the Impasse Husson held strong. The symphony of a summer morning resonated.
Today as you stand here in Impasse Husson feel the echoes of artistic energy. Imagine the laughter the debates and the quiet dedication to creation. This wasn’t just a street. It was a sanctuary for the soul.