In 2014, my brother, a painter, was looking for a new place to live and work. One of his students at the time told him that his brother was selling his house, a former artist's studio, that might be of interest. It was love at first sight with the house, with Auvers-sur-Oise and the very beautiful region of Vexin. I was in Russia at the time, so my brother sent me photos that same evening of his visit telling me he had fallen in love with the place. I came with my wife the following weekend and after the visit we decided, without hesitation, to buy this unique house full of history and artistic vibrations.
When Charles-François Daubigny bought the property in around 1870, it was a barn located near his workshop house. His wish was to have a summer workshop where he could also bring together his artist friends outside the family circle. He rehabilitated the space and had a floor added where he fitted out bedrooms. This allowed him to have a workshop with nine-metre-high ceilings and a very beautiful north-east facing window, as well as bedrooms for his friends. When my brother moved here, he carried out a lot of renovation work to restore the house to its former vocation and charm as a workshop house, just as Charles-François Daubigny had intended. He has transformed it into a cultural space, named La Maison Rose, which can accommodate artists, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, choreographers and more. He rehabilitated the 75m² patio, which is a lovely spot when the weather is fine, and opened an access door to the workshop which enlarges the view of the magnificent period window. The kitchen that was on the left as you enter has been installed in a small shed (added in the 1980s) keeping the style of the time as much as possible. Two bathrooms have been modernised. The ensemble has once again become a rustic 19th century workshop house, in its original condition, with a huge period window which makes the property unique and utterly charming.
Charles-François Daubigny was placed in foster care in Valmondois from an early age due to his poor health. He remained in the countryside until the age of nine. As an adult, he came to the region of Auvers-sur-Oise regularly. He bought a boat, the “Botin”, here in 1857 which became his boat-workshop and he made the island of Vaux his home port. After several stays in Normandy on the Fleurie coast, he decided to settle in Auvers-sur-Oise and bought land where he had his countryside workshop built in 1860 according to the plans of his friend Oudinot. It is now Daubigny’s house-workshop, classified as a Historic Monument in 1993 and labelled a “Maison des Illustres” in 2014. Around 1870, Charles-François Daubigny bought the barn (now Maison Rose) which adjoined his house. Many artists and students such as Corot, Daumier, Oudinot, Cézanne, and Morisot have spent time in this house. Charles-François Daubigny and his friends created one of the first “artist groups/households" here which allowed them to help each other and create together in order to exhibit at art fairs. The studio was dedicated to one of his sons, Karl, an equally renowned artist who lived here until his death in 1886. After the property once again became a simple dwelling house in the 20th century, my brother, a painter, turned it into a painting workshop that still displays his works on the walls.
A house in the countryside, thirty kilometres from Paris in the historic centre of Auvers-sur-Oise where the ghost of Van Gogh roams. A unique place which was once the summer workshop of a great painter at the crossroads of the Romantic movement and impressionism. Guests enjoy the original experience of living on the outskirts of Vexin in an authentic place. It has kept the rustic charm of the original workshop that welcomed the greatest artists of the second half of the 19th century and artists of our time. A space full of charm, ideal for recharging one's batteries, which exudes strong artistic vibrations. The magnificent period window, and the nine-metre-high ceilings will leave no one indifferent.
Stroll in the footsteps of Van Gogh, enjoy the surrounding nature and perhaps visit the spot that inspired "Roots of Trees", his last painting that was painted on the very day of his fatal act in Auvers- sur-Oise on 27 July 1890. Less than one hundred metres away is Daubigny's house. We recommend the Café de la Paix for dinner and a show at the end of the week. There is a small, very British tea room at the charming Hôtel des Iris. For readers, the neighbourhood bookstore La 23e Marche has excellent recommendations. In Nesles-la-Vallée, in the regional natural park of French Vexin, two horseriders welcome amateurs to Val Fleuri in their equestrian centre. The centre is very close to their hearts as they have been riding there since childhood. L'Auberge Ravoux, Van Gogh's last home which is classified as a historical monument, is also a must see.
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