The Artists’ Colony

In the 1830s, there was an international artists' colony in the small village of Barbizon, on the outskirts of the mighty Fontainebleau Forest south of Paris. However, some of the Anglo-Saxon artists began seeking different subjects and a different light, and in the 1870s, they moved to the nearby village of Grez by the River Loing. Here, there was a special silvery-gray light, "a shimmering silver tone" as the painter Georg Pauli expressed it. So, first English, Scots, Irish, and Americans moved here, soon followed by Nordic artists. Some of the more well-known ones include Hugo Salmson, Oscar Törnå, Christian Krogh, Christian Skredsvik, as well as the Swede Karl Nordström. It was he who attracted Carl Larsson to Grez, where Larsson not only discovered the watercolor technique but also met his future wife, the artist Karin Bergöö. The list of famous Swedish artists who visited Grez is almost endless, but Bruno Liljefors, Julia Beck, Anders Zorn, Eva Bonnier, Ernst Lundström, Emma Löwstädt, and Georg Pauli should be mentioned.

Many international artists gathered in the village, including the Japanese Kuroda Seiki and the Finnish sculptor Ville Vallgren. Englishmen Bob Stevenson, William Stott of Oldham, and Louis Welden Hawkins, Irish artist Frank O'Meara, and Americans John Singer Sargent, Francis Brook Chadwick, Edward Simmons, Will Hicox Low, Theodore Robinson, Kenyon Cox, Willard Metcalf, and Bruce Crane also stayed in Grez.

Just before the turn of the century in 1900, representatives from the influential Glasgow School traveled to Grez-sur-Loing, especially members of The Glasgow Boys. The time of the Irish-Scottish artist John Lavery in Grez also left a deep imprint on his artistic work.

It hasn't just been about painting in Grez. Writers August Strindberg and his wife Siri von Essen, as well as Werner von Heidenstam, stayed there. Grez-sur-Loing appears in both Strindberg's "The Defence of a Fool" and "Among French Peasants." Even the man behind "Treasure Island," Robert Louis Stevenson, was on the guest list. Later, the English composer Frederick Delius lived and worked in Grez-sur-Loing, where he also spent his final days.

Less than seven miles south of Paris lies Grez-sur-Loing, right on the banks of the River Loing. The community has medieval origins, which is evident when wandering through the village and seeing the ruins of a medieval fortification where the tower – Tour de Ganne, built in 1127 – still reaches towards the sky. Even the village church, Notre-Dame et Saint-Laurent, dates back to the 12th century.

At the bottom of Hôtel Chevillon's lush garden, you can see the stone bridge, world-famous through art. The bridge is over 500 years old and was built in stages during the 14th and 15th centuries. It has been destroyed several times throughout history but was restored in 1980 to its original appearance. If you look closely, you can see that it resembles another famous bridge, Pont Neuf in Paris, also from the 16th century. However, the bridge over the Loing is much smaller and not as ornate. Yet, the bridges bear a resemblance to each other.

Today, approximately 1,400 people live in the village.

The nearest town is Fontainebleau with its famous royal palace, which began construction in the 12th century. There is also the well-known Fontainebleau Forest where artists made pilgrimages during the latter half of the 19th century. The town has approximately 16,000 inhabitants. Near Grez are also the artist village of Barbizon and Nemours, a larger community on the River Loing. Nemours has around 13,000 residents.

Learn more about the surroundings here: www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com

The Village

Activities

The inspiring environment in and around the Hôtel Chevillon in Grez-sur-Loing is steeped in tradition, offering an opportunity of working, exchanging ideas and socializing with peers. Residencies are offered to artists, authors, composers and scientists.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization that rents out apartments and studios to academies and other foundations and institutions, which, in turn, offer grants for residencies at the Hôtel Chevillon. There are also some possibilities for renting at one’s own expense.

There are four two-room flats and one one-room flat, three separate studios and one ‘writer’s den’ as well as three guest rooms and the “Carl Larsson flat” with an adjoining studio. There are plenty of communal spaces for meeting other residents.

The Hôtel Chevillon is a place where people live and work. In order to respect the integrity of the residents, the Hôtel is only open to visitors and tours by special appointment. During these hours, guests are only allowed access to the park and the ground floor common rooms, while access to the living quarters and studios is by invitation only at the discretion of each resident.

The Hôtel Chevillon is owned by The Grez-Sur-Loing Foundation which, together with its board, is based in Gothenburg. Our manager on site, Madame Marie Nicolas-Cook, is fluent in English and French (native).