Top 5 Reasons to Visit La Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre


 

Make sure to read our article Top 10 Things To Do in Montmartre before you start walking around Montmartre. This article covers you the best places to visit and gives you some great advice to make the most of your Paris trip.

Just below the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre there is a public green space known as the Louise-Michel park. At the south eastern end of the park the Saint-Pierre Gallery finds its home in Paris.

Montmartre remains one of the best neighborhoods in Paris in which to visit galleries and museums. This is because most of the museum foot traffic congregates around the city center in the more mainstream establishments like the Louvre and Orangerie.

This leaves the smaller museums in Montmartre free of congestion and long queues, including the Picasso Museum, Montmartre Museum and the Saint-Pierre Gallery.

Here are the top five reasons you should visit this contemporary art space while making your way through Montmartre.

La Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery
2 Rue Ronsard, 75018 Paris, France
+33 1 42 58 72 89
Open 7 days a week: 11am to 6pm
Admission: Free

1. Experience Art Brut at the Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre

Art Brut is sometimes also known as “outsider” art. This is the art form most represented within the space that makes up the Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre.

Outsider art is a form of contemporary art that seems to push the boundaries on what is considered to be “art” today. It is a highly experimental style of creating works.

Halle Saint- Pierre – by Halle Saint-Pierre – Uploaded by them

The artists who contribute to the Art Brut or outsider art forms are usually self taught artists who have little to no contact with the mainstream art institutes recognized by society.

Very often, the works of these artists were discovered only after they had passed away.

The Halle Saint-Pierre is one of the few places in Paris where you can enjoy this art firsthand. Many say that no gallery in Paris is able to capture the bohemian spirit of the Montmartre area quite like this one.

2. Visit the Musée d’Art Naïf Inside the Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre

The gallery is made up of a combination of permanent and temporary exhibitions.

As part of the permanent collection, you’ll find a separate museum inside the Halle Saint-Pierre called the Musée d’Art Naïf.

This collection features a range of work by renowned native artist Max Fourny. Over 30 original pieces are housed in the space.

Musée d’Art Naïf – by Pline – Wikimedia Commons

Fourny shares this micro museum with the works of other native artists; none of whom had any formal education at the time of creating their works. It is an isolated, lonely form of art that is fascinating to observe especially if you’ve visited other contemporary galleries before.

Compare the works in this space to that of those by Dali in the museum down the road, or the Montmartre Museum just a short walk away, and you’ll quickly understand why these techniques stand out so significantly.

3. The Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre is Not Only Used for Art

By looking at the exterior of the building you’d never imagine the extent of facilities that exist inside the Halle Saint-Pierre.

In addition to the gallery and museum space there is also a performance hall, auditorium, bookshop, library, cafe and meeting room facilities.

The Halle Saint-Pierre is notorious for always having a multitude of things happening within the space at any given time.

Halle Saint- Pierre – by Shadowgate – Wikimedia Commons

There are the permanent exhibitions and then the temporary; there are live performances happening in the auditorium; people are reading in the library or shopping in the bookshop; the cafe is bustling with hungry visitors and multiple conventions are taking place in preparation for all of the up & coming events that the gallery will hold.

Getting hold of a program of events prior to your visit would be the best way of ensuring that you don’t miss something wonderful. The gallery is open seven days a week so there is somewhat of a guarantee that there will be something to see on any day you choose to visit.

4. Enjoy the Cafe at the Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre

The little coffee shop inside of the Halle Saint-Pierre is a great spot to either sit and reflect on the works you have just seen or simply break mid-visit for some refreshment.

The menu is simple; you can choose from a range of coffees, pastries and freshly made sandwiches. Prices are reasonable and there are options for vegans and vegetarians as well.

Halle Saint- Pierre – by Jacqueline 70 – Wikimedia Commons

Since the gallery sees most of its traffic over the weekends, the cafe becomes a quiet escape for when the tour groups become a bit overwhelming — at least this is the role it played for me!

If you need to escape the space entirely: walk west one or two blocks, keeping the park on your right, you’ll find this area is filled with French chocolatier shops and ice cream parlors all offering quick bites and treats.

5. Explore the Nearby Attractions of the Halle Saint-Pierre Gallery in Montmartre

The Halle Saint-Pierre is a stones throw from the Sacre Coeur Basilica. You’ve come this far and may as well trek the remainder of the hill to see it in person. The free guided walking tours will be on the same route as you and you may even be able to join into one.

Halle Saint-Pierre and Scare Coeur – by Musée Halle Saint Pierre – Wikimedia Commons

Sticking to the theme of “outsider” art, the Dali Museum is a short walk west of the Basilica. While Dali may not quality under the brutest movement like the artists displayed at the Halle Saint-Pierre, his works are equally as free thinking and experimental.

If you need to make use of the metro to get to home at the end of the day, make your way toward the Abbesses metro stop that facilitates most of Montmartre. Situated just across from the stop is the famous I Love You Wall that you can have a quick look at before your train comes.

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