The Maison Gainsbourg, the lair of the poet "at the head of cabbages", musical genius of the 20e was inaugurated by his daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg, in the presence of the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak. Under the impulse of his daughter, a project was born to open the place to the public, preserved intact for more than 32 years. Recently labeled "Houses of the Illustrious" by the Ministry of Culture, the place retains the soul of the artist and allows you to immerse yourself in his world, to soak up the passions of this atypical creator, bright and sensitive.
Presentation of the "Maisons des Illustres" plaque by Laurent Roturier, Director of DRAC Île-de-France to Charlotte Gainsbourg © DRAC Île-de-France and Charlotte Gainsbourg © CG Mondino
On this occasion, Charlotte Gainsbourg receives from the hands of Laurent Roturier, regional director of cultural affairs, the facsimile of the plaque "Maisons de Illustres" which will soon be affixed to the front of the house.
Meeting with Anatole Maggiar, director of content and programming, co-curator of the Gainsbourg Museum
Can you present the historic house of Serge Gainsbourg and the events that took place there?
Façade of 5 bis rue de Verneuil © Alexis Raimbault
It was in 1967 that Serge Gainsbourg visited for the first time the 5 bis rue de Verneuil in the 7e arrondissement of Paris. He is accompanied by Brigitte Bardot with whom he will have a brief but intense idyll that will leave songs passed today to posterity such as "Harley Davidson", "Bonnie & Clyde" or the mythical "Initials B.B".
Porte du 5 bis rue de Verneuil © Alexis Raimbault
"Rue de Verneuil, an integral part of Serge Gainsbourg’s work"
At that time, Serge Gainsbourg lived at the Cité des Arts (4th arrondissement). Successful songwriter, he writes for stars who lead the hit parades (France Gall, Régine, Nana Mouskouri, Petula Clark, Anna Karina etc). Occupied by his interpreters, Serge Gainsbourg asked his father, Joseph, to find him a house in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a district he already knew well since he was visiting Juliette Gréco who lived at 33 rue de Verneuil, and that he visited Salvador Dalí’s apartment at 88 rue de l'Université in the late 1940s.
Maison Gainsbourg, office © Pierre Terrasson
The 5 bis rue de Verneuil is a small town house of 130m2, which initially served as stables at the mansion opposite. After acquiring it in February 1968, Serge Gainsbourg carried out major works there, and it was finally with Jane Birkin that he moved there in June 1969. At once a place of inspiration and work, which has received illustrious guests and sheltered a family life, 5 bis rue de Verneuil is an integral part of the work of Serge Gainsbourg who will live there for 22 years.
Maison Gainsbourg, salon © Pierre Terrasson
Capital place both in his personal life and for the development of his career, the "5 bis" was - with the objects it contains - preserved intact by Charlotte Gainsbourg after the disappearance of his father more than 32 years ago.
The Maison Gainsbourg is a unique house, in terms of choice of decoration, layout, aesthetics, can you not tell us?
Serge Gainsbourg enlists the services of André Higgins, an English interior designer and antique dealer to realize his aesthetic vision. They create an avant-garde interior for the late 1960s, with black felt walls, contrasted by ivory-colored frames that resemble Wedgwood porcelain. The British influence is very palpable, with the large bow windows, the shuttered and molded doors very thick that come to rhythm the layout of the different rooms of the house.
Rock&Folk Gainsbarre © Alexis Raimbault
On the ground floor, there is a Venetian pavement with black marble cabochons reminiscent of a giant chessboard, and on the first floor, an Axminster carpet with poppies and water lilies.
Over the 22 years that Serge Gainsbourg spent in this house, the place will take charge of a multitude of precious objects, modern as well as old, brought back from trips or found in the many antique dealers of the district.
How is the tour of the Maison Gainsbourg (house, museum, bookstore) going?
Dedicated to the transmission of Serge Gainsbourg’s work, the Maison Gainsbourg is a new cultural institution that offers an experience on two distinct sites rue de Verneuil in Paris (7e):
- 5 bis: the historic house in which Serge Gainsbourg lived for 22 years, a legendary interior preserved intact since his death in 1991;
- opposite, number 14: a museum retracing the life and career of the artist, a bookshop-shop and the Gainsbarre, coffee and piano bar, allow to extend the visit.
"Nearly 450 original objects: manuscripts, works and emblematic objects or clothing and jewelry"
The museum presents the collection of the Maison Gainsbourg, its rich documentary collection and the exceptional loans of institutional and private collections granted to it. It includes nearly 450 original objects: manuscripts, works and emblematic objects or clothing and jewelry that belonged to Serge Gainsbourg and exhibited together for the first time. The basement of the museum is dedicated to small temporary exhibitions that develop key elements of the chronology of Serge Gainsbourg. On the occasion of the opening of the Maison Gainsbourg, the first temporary exhibition is dedicated to the duo recorded by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg in December 1968, "I love you… neither can I".
Gainsbourg Museum and showcase © Alexis Raimbault
Why become Maison des illustres? What does this bring to Maison Gainsbourg?
The label "Maison des Illustres" is a source of pride for the Maison Gainsbourg, it shows the importance of this place of life and creation for the music and the French artistic scene. It is also an opportunity for Maison Gainsbourg to join a network of places that are driven by the same issues of conservation, preservation and transmission to the new generations.
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