The Propriété Caillebotte is the former summer residence of the Caillebotte family and the Impressionist painter Gustave Caillebotte, who created more than 80 canvases there. It was laid out in the 1830s as an English-style park, and the Caillebotte family acquired it in 1860 to use as their summer home. With its park, vegetable garden, and riverbanks, Yerres played a major role in the development of the art of Gustave Caillebotte, a painter now recognized all over the world. The family sold the property in 1879, shortly after the death of Gustave Caillebotte’s mother.
The site, which now belongs to the town of Yerres, is open to the public free of charge and offers a walk through an 11-hectare park that perfectly captures the atmosphere of 19th-century vacation spots outside of Paris.
The Propriété Caillebotte is a location firmly rooted in the Destination Impressionnisme (Impressionism Destination), as it is one of the major sites of Impressionism in the Ile-de-France region and welcomes numerous visitors to its gardens, exhibition spaces, and the Caillebotte house, a true testament to the lifestyle of a wealthy family during the Restoration.
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Visiting the park and the vegetable garden of the Propriété Caillebotte
While walking in the park, don’t miss a stroll by the Asian kiosk, the small chapel (consecrated as Notre-Dame du Lierre in 1864), and the ice house, which was used at the time to store food supplies.
In the neo-classical style Orangerie, which was used to overwinter the ornamental orange trees that appear in several of Gustave Caillebotte’s paintings, you will now find temporary exhibitions.
Moreover, at the back of the garden, I highly recommend that you open the doors of the Vegetable Garden (which covers 1,700m2), lovingly maintained by the “Potager Caillebotte” association and open to the public at specific times (see at the end of the paragraph).
The little extra: the possibility of renting rowboats and canoes during the summer season
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Visiting the Casin, Caillebotte’s house
The Casin, an Italian-style house and the main residence of the artist and his family, was rehabilitated in 2017, and one can now discover the atmosphere of this 19th-century house just as the painter knew it. The visit to the Caillebotte House, refurnished as it was during the painter’s time thanks to donations from the “Friends of the Caillebotte Property” and collections from the Mobilier National, immerses the visitor in the spirit of a late 19th-century vacation home and allows them to discover the lives and passions of his family.
One can discover the dining room and living room, as well as the adjoining billiard room, which have been entirely redecorated. The family bedroom has regained its original First Empire furniture, created by Martin Guillaume Biennais. The artist’s studio is evoked and regularly set up as an exhibition room, which temporarily hosts original canvases by Caillebotte and his contemporaries. Finally, in the museum rooms, you can follow the history of the family and the Property.
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Visiting the temporary exhibitions of the Propriété Caillebotte
Another attraction of the site is the temporary exhibitions regularly presented by the institution.
Paul Durand-Ruel and the Post-Impressionism Exhibition
An art enthusiast, Paul Durand-Ruel began his career as an art dealer by focusing on the great Romantic and Realist masters (Delacroix, Courbet, Théodore Rousseau, Millet, Corot, etc.). Then, during the war of 1870, he met Monet and Pissarro in London and, upon his return to France, all their Impressionist friends. For more than twenty years, he supported them until final victory, a recognition that began in the 1890s.
Paul Durand-Ruel and the Post-Impressionism Exhibition
May 19 to October 24, 2021
Rates:
Admission to the “Paul Durand-Ruel and the Post-Impressionism” exhibition: €8 / €5 reduced rate
Admission to the Caillebotte House: €8 / €5 reduced rate (admission includes the Martin Guillaume Biennais exhibition and the Caillebotte House)
Combined admission for the “Durand-Ruel and the Post-Impressionism” exhibition and the Caillebotte House:
€10 / €8 reduced rateFree for those under 18
The Park is open with free admission every day
The Vegetable Garden is open until October from Tuesday to Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm / Saturday from
10:30 am to 12:30 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm / Sunday and public holidays from 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6:30 pm
Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free; photographer's authorization required before any use
