Montmartre Artists 2026: Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir

Booking choice: The Musée de Montmartre ticket, from $16 per person. Check dates Compare the options below

Montmartre became part of Paris on 1 January 1860, and the painters in this guide all lived on the hill in the decades that followed. Its name may come from “Mons Martis”, the Mount of Mars, or “Mons Martyrum”, the Mount of the Martyrs, for Saint Denis; both explanations exist.

This guide follows the artists who lived on the hill, answers where Starry Night really is, and covers the two museums on the hill and the walk built around art.

The quick answer

Van Gogh moved into a flat at 54 rue Lepic with his brother Theo in June 1886 and left for Arles in February 1888. Picasso lived and worked at the Bateau-Lavoir from 1904 to 1909. Renoir lived at 12 rue Cortot in 1876, now the Musée de Montmartre, and painted the Bal du moulin de la Galette that year. Neither Starry Night was painted in Montmartre.

Easels and paintings set out on a square — Easels on the square: the street artists keep the tradition going.

Did Van Gogh live in Montmartre?

Yes. In June 1886 he moved with his brother Theo into a flat on rue Lepic, at number 54, and left Paris for Arles in February 1888.

The Van Gogh Museum gives rue Lepic and June 1886; the number 54 comes from the plaque on the building. That makes Montmartre his home for less than two years.

A green sloping lane with the dome of the Sacré-Cœur at the end — A sloping lane on the hill, with the basilica at the end.

Where is Starry Night in Paris?

Van Gogh's “Starry Night Over the Rhône” hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The famous “The Starry Night” is at MoMA in New York.

“Starry Night Over the Rhône” (“La Nuit étoilée”) was painted in 1888 in Arles. “The Starry Night” was painted in June 1889 in Saint-Rémy, in the south of France. Neither was painted in Montmartre, but both came after his time on rue Lepic.

So if you are in Paris and want a starry night by Van Gogh, the Musée d'Orsay is the place to go; it also holds Renoir's Montmartre painting, which makes it a good pairing with a morning on the hill. If it is the swirling sky of 1889 you have in mind, that one is across the Atlantic in New York.

Where did Picasso live in Montmartre?

At the Bateau-Lavoir, where he lived and worked from 1904 to 1909. Modigliani was among its residents too.

The Bateau-Lavoir is about 500 m from the Sacré-Cœur, roughly 6 minutes on foot, near the Mur des je t'aime. The art lovers walk is built around the hill's painters, with trivia and a small sketching session along the way.

Follow the painters' footsteps and try a quick sketch yourself, from $11.

Check dates for the art lovers walk

What did Renoir paint in Montmartre?

The Bal du moulin de la Galette (1876), the open-air dance at the Moulin de la Galette. It hangs at the Musée d'Orsay.

In 1876 Renoir lived at 12 rue Cortot, the house that is now the Musée de Montmartre. The Moulin de la Galette itself is a historic windmill on the hill. If you want to see the painting, go to the Musée d'Orsay; if you want to see where he lived, go to rue Cortot.

Renoir's painting of the open-air dance at the Moulin de la Galette — Renoir, Bal du moulin de la Galette, 1876: today at the Musée d'Orsay.

What famous person lived in Montmartre?

Van Gogh, Picasso, Modigliani and Renoir all lived here; so did Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo, and Toulouse-Lautrec belonged to the neighbourhood.

Vincent van Gogh: rue Lepic, 1886 to 1888.
Pablo Picasso: the Bateau-Lavoir, 1904 to 1909, with Modigliani among its residents.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir: 12 rue Cortot, 1876.
Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo: also 12 rue Cortot, from 1906 to 1914.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: in the neighbourhood; one of the Moulin Rouge dinner menus carries his name.

How much is the Musée de Montmartre?

€16 full price at the museum. On GetYourGuide the ticket with the gardens and an audioguide is from $16.

The museum is at 12 rue Cortot, about 5 minutes on foot from the basilica, in the house where Renoir, Valadon and Utrillo lived. It opens daily 10:00 to 19:00, with last entry 45 minutes before closing. Exchange rates move, so compare the two prices on the day. Gardens-only tickets are €6, and a guided visit is €24 at the museum itself.

The GetYourGuide ticket includes the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Renoir gardens and an audioguide, and lets you skip the ticket line. It has no guide. Children under 10 go in free at the museum, so families may simply pay at the door.

Musée de Montmartre	Price
Full	€16
Reduced (teachers, students 18 to 25, disabled visitors)	€10.50
Ages 10 to 17	€9
Under 10	Free
Gardens only	€6
Guided visit	€24
GetYourGuide ticket	From $16, with gardens and audioguide

La Maison Rose, a pink house café with a magnolia in front — La Maison Rose, a few lanes from the museum.

The permanent and temporary exhibitions, the Renoir gardens and an audioguide, without waiting in the ticket line.

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Explore the Musée de Montmartre ticket

Is Dalí Paris worth a visit?

If you like Dalí, yes: it is at 11 rue Poulbot, about 5 minutes from the basilica, open daily 10:00 to 18:30.

Price: €16 full; €13 or €11 reduced; free under 8.
Audioguide: €3.
Last entry: 18:00.
Good to know: no lockers and no disabled access.

Travel light if you plan to go in, since there is nowhere to leave a bag. It sits a few steps from Place du Tertre, so it fits easily between the square and the basilica. The museum's own website is the place to check before you go, as with any opening hours.

Where can you see artists painting in Montmartre today?

On Place du Tertre, the square of the street artists, about 3 minutes on foot from the Sacré-Cœur.

Easels and canvases fill the square, and you are free to wander through. For a guided version with more context, the art lovers walk adds a small sketching session; the highlights walk is the most-reviewed walk on the site. More walks are compared in Montmartre walking tours compared.