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Nouvelle Athenes

Paris-9th arrondissement-Area of La Nouvelle Athenes

Halfway the Grands Magasins and Pigalle is the “Nouvelle Athenes” area. In the 18th century it was the neighbourhood where painters and sculptors felt home. Begin 19th century the area was completely renovated by the architects Constantin, Visconti, Biet, Lelong and Haudebourt in a splendid manner. The style was neo-classicistic, therefore the name. Names like Gericault, Horace Vernet, Chopin, George Sand and Delacroix lived here. At the place Saint-George you can see large and beautiful building with monumental porches. They are characteristic for the quarter of “Nouvelle-Athenes”. Al around, a lot of antique shops with French paintings of the 19th century. Via the rue de la Bruyere you enter the rue de la Rochefoucauld where the MUSEE GUSTAVE MOREAU is located. Moreau, a symbolist painter, not so much my cup of tea, arranged his house in a museum with 6000 oil paintings, sketches, drawings and aquarelles. The only thing that can be said that the strange feeling you get by loitering in this house had a great attraction to the surrealists like Andre Breton.
In the CITE PIGALLE (no.43) Van Gogh lived for a while. Now let’s turn right to the rue Chaptal. We see a small passage on the right, an alley leading us to unknown but lovely spots. Here we find the original atelier of the Dutch painter Ary Scheffer in the MUSEE DE LA VIE ROMANTIQUE, opened in 1987. It belonged to Ary Scheffer, then to his niece , daughter of the philosopher Ernest Renan. The museum is in fact dedicated to George Sand, whose souvenires recreate her daily life. 
Along a courtyard bordered by a garden , the atelier wheer Ary Scheffer reveived Chopin, Liszt, Lamartine, Sand, Tourguéniev, Delacroix and Chopin. ...is reconstituted.  
What else is there to see in the 9th arrondissement?
The Musee Grevin: for the fans of wax museums. I hate it.
MUSEE DE LA PARFUMERIE is the museum of the Fragonard perfumes and entrance is free. The alembics are quite exciting to see where the perfumes were made. Of course, you have the inevitable shop at the end of the visit. Commerce is commerce!
MUSEE DE L'OPERA AND THE BIBLIOTHEQUE GARNIER is also to visit with costumes, paintings (history of the Opera) by Renoir and Degas , rue Scribe 8. 
And at no. 14 Boulevard des Capucines a plaque:  "Here, on December 28 1896, took place the first public projections of photography animated by the cinematographer, a device invented by the brothers Lumiere."

Bibliography

--Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris, ed.Hervas (1985-1988--Nouvelle Histoire de Paris, ed.Hachette--Le Pieton de Paris, by L.P.Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997--Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris, by J.Hillairet, ed.Minuit --Guide du Routard 1998-1999 (Ed.Hachette)--Paris, 2000 d'histoire, by J.Favier, ed.Fayard 1997 --Paris 19eme siecle, l'immeuble et la rue, by F.Loyer, ed.Hazan, 1994