Colarossi Academy

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COLAROSSI ACADEMY

The Colarossi Academy, also known as the "Académie de la Grande Chaumière", is a school of Parisian art, founded in 1870, by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi at No. 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière (next to Paul Gauguin's and Amedeo Modigliani's studios installed at No. 8, blessed time!). When the Genevois, Charles Suisse, former model of Jacques-Louis David, retired, Filippo Colarossi bought his "Suisse-Cabressol Academy" (founded, in 1815, by Suisse, as a nude academy) and renamed it first "Academy of the Rose". It is then located on the Ile de la Cité, at the corner of Quai des Orfèvres and Boulevard du Palais. In 1870, ite was transferred to No. 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumiere, Montparnasse, in the Notre-Dame-des-Champs district of the 6th arrondissement. The academy also has a workshop at 43 avenue Victor Hugo in the 16th arrondissement. As both a private school and a free workshop, it is an alternative to the institution of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, which has become too conservative for many artists.

Like the Julian Academy, the Colarossi's school is mixed and allows students to paint from nude male models. Among the most famous women attending the academy are Jeanne Hébuterne and Camille Claudel. Also renowned for its post-model sculpture classes, the school attracts many foreign students, including Americans, Scandinavians and Canadians. In 1907, the academy named its first woman teacher, New Zealand artist Frances Hodgkins, confirming her progressive spirit.

The school closes in the 1930s. Shortly before, Mrs. Colarossi had burned the archives of the institution, in retaliation for the infidelities of her husband.