Barbizon

Outside Paris: Fontainebleau: History & Sightseeing: Outside Fontainebleau: Barbizon

The picturesque town of Barbizon, 5½ miles northwest of Fontainebleau off the N7, was once a humble woodcutter’s village. Landscape painters fell in love with the area in the 19th century and came from all over the world to set up their easels right out in the forests, painting simple country scenes. These painters, including masters such as Théodore Rousseau, Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet, became known as the Barbizon School, and are considered precursors to the Impressionist movement. Today Barbizon is a postcard-perfect village full of art galleries, gourmet restaurants and charming luxury inns, with many of the original artist studios converted into museums. It’s the ideal place to eat and sleep if money is no object, although it costs nothing to drool over the expensively restored “country homes” for sale in the real estate office windows. The town is full of smartly dressed tourists in Range Rovers and coach parties during the high season, so try to visit early in the morning or during the off-season to get a glimpse of the authentic village atmosphere.

Most of the town can be seen from the main street, the Grande Rue. At the top of the street is Jean-François Millet’s House & Studio (27 Grande Rue, Barbizon, ☎ 01 60 66 21 55), where the artist lived and worked on his masterpieces, including The Angelus, The Gleaners and The Sower, from 1849 until his death in 1875. One room is reserved for contemporary art exhibitions. Free entry, open daily from 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 5:30pm.

DID YOU KNOW?Barbizon wasn’t popular only with painters in the 19th century. The Scottish author of Treasure Island ,Robert Louis Stevenson, came to Barbizon in 1875 to write his Forest Notes at the Hôtellerie du Bas Bréau (22 Grande Rue).

The Musée Municipal de l’Ecole de Barbizon (☎ 01 60 66 22 27) is made up of two museums, the Auberge Ganne (92 Grande Rue) and the Maison-Atelier Théodore Rousseau (55 Grande Rue). The Auberge Ganne, restored in 1995, was a popular inn for landscape painters from all over the world, who came to check out the action in the forests around Barbizon and Fontainebleau from 1837 until 1870. The scenes on the walls and furniture painted by guests are still intact, and the museum houses a collection of over 400 paintings and masterpieces from the Barbizon school, including works by Camille Corot, Jules Dupré and Ferdinand Chaigneau. Rousseau’s house and studio, a tiny space made up of two rooms next to a chapel, is now a museum dedicated to the artist and his work. There’s also a room dedicated to the artist Rosa Bonheur. Open daily except Tuesday, 10am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5:30pm. Tickets (valid for both museums) are €4.50, €2.30 for students, children under 12 free. There’s no information in English except a guide on sale in the gift shop for €9.50.

For those who want to see where the Barbizon painters found their inspiration, stop by the tourist information center (55 Grande Rue) and ask for the free English brochure, Barbizon Painters Discovery Trail, which maps out a two- to three-hour walk through the forest highlighting eight of their favorite painting spots. It’s an easy trail, perfect for a casual, non-strenuous stroll.

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