Café du Tambourin, Restaurant in Montmartre, Paris, France
Café du Tambourin was a restaurant on Boulevard de Clichy in the Montmartre district of Paris, recognizable by its tambourine-shaped tables and chairs and staff dressed in traditional Italian clothing. It served Italian food, including timbale bolognaise, a baked pasta and meat dish.
Agostina Segatori, a former artist's model, opened the establishment in 1885 as a gathering place for the artists working in the area. Financial difficulties led to its closure in 1893, after which the space became a different venue called Cabaret de la Butte.
The Café du Tambourin was known for displaying paintings directly on the walls and even on the furniture, making art part of the dining room itself. This mix of eating and looking at contemporary work was a natural part of the visit, not a formal event.
The original venue no longer operates in any form today, so there is nothing to enter or visit on site. Those interested can walk along Boulevard de Clichy in Montmartre to get a sense of the area where it once stood.
Vincent van Gogh held his first Paris exhibition here in 1887, showing flower paintings and Japanese prints he had collected. He was close to Segatori at the time and exchanged paintings for meals, meaning his work literally hung on the walls as part of the decor.
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