Doesn’t the name Voie Poussin conjure images of grand boulevards? It may surprise you that this street tells a different story. Voie Poussin is a small street in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It is named after the famous French painter Nicolas Poussin. He lived from 1594 to 1665. Many streets in this area are named after artists.
Rue Poussin begins at 17, Rue Pierre-Guérin. It ends at 99, Boulevard de Montmorency. Rue Poussin is 390 meters long and 15 meters wide.
Once named Rue Neuve-de-l’Embarcadère, it got its start in 1854. The name came from its closeness to the Auteuil train station. The railway company acquired the Boufflers property. The area was redeveloped. The Gare d’Auteuil was created. Several new streets opened nearby including what is now known as Rue Poussin.
A decree officially named it Rue Poussin. Claude Lévi-Strauss lived at 26, Rue Poussin. He lived on the fifth floor for the first twenty years of his life. The even-numbered side of Rue Poussin marks the edge of the Villa Montmorency.
The building at Number 10 has a curved facade. The architect Ernest Papinot built it in 1900. His signature is on the facade. Number 12 marks the entrance to the Villa Montmorency. Toussaint Gallet lived at Number 33. He was a member of the French Resistance. A plaque on the building honors him.
Nicolas Poussin was a leading painter. He worked in the classical French Baroque style. Poussin spent most of his career in Rome. He painted religious and mythological subjects. He painted for Italian and French collectors. Clarity and order mark his work. He favored line over color. Artists like Jacques-Louis David admired him.