Le Musée de la Seine-et-Marne is where George Simon originally had a saw mill. In 1905 he had built L'Hôtel Moderne to sell wood for heating, coal, wholesale wine and groceries. The hotel lodged agents selling wood to craftsmen.
The Guiberts, Parisian café keepers, acquired the hotel in 1926, which they considered an ideal place to raise their two sons. Their younger son Pierre began to work in the auberge at fourteen. He was fascinated by the clog maker's workshop, and collected his first tool: a doloire (a kind of axe) to shape out a clog. In 1946 he took over the management of the auberge and in about 1956 gave his collection of tools to it.
The Guiberts were friends of Pierre Mac Orlan and were with him during the last ten years of his life. Mac Orlan used to eat at La Moderne, inviting his friends there, a number of whom – such as Georges Brassens and Monique Morelli – were famous personalities.
In 1987 the building and the Guibert collection were acquired by the general council of Seine-et-Marne, and the former Hôtel Moderne became a museum. Part of this museum is dedicated to Pierre Mac Orlan, whose house can only be visited by individuals at strictly very limited times, although their present publicity is ambiguous. Needless to say, we arrived – almost inevitably – when the museum/house wasn't open. There was, though, an exhibition on Pierre Mac Orlan and his relation to music.
Mac Orlan was fascinated by music in general and different musical genres, and was interested in both the authors and the interpreters. He also made a collection of records from around Europe.
Women were Pierre Mac Orlan's favourite interpreters of his songs, and the current exhibition at the Musée de la Seine-et-Marne (which closes 23 December 2019) concentrates on women singers such as Francesca Solleville, Juliette Greco, Monique Morelli, Catherine Sauvage and Germaine Montero:
Clémont Poma's bust of Pierre Mac Orlan (2010):
The Guiberts, Parisian café keepers, acquired the hotel in 1926, which they considered an ideal place to raise their two sons. Their younger son Pierre began to work in the auberge at fourteen. He was fascinated by the clog maker's workshop, and collected his first tool: a doloire (a kind of axe) to shape out a clog. In 1946 he took over the management of the auberge and in about 1956 gave his collection of tools to it.
The Guiberts were friends of Pierre Mac Orlan and were with him during the last ten years of his life. Mac Orlan used to eat at La Moderne, inviting his friends there, a number of whom – such as Georges Brassens and Monique Morelli – were famous personalities.
In 1987 the building and the Guibert collection were acquired by the general council of Seine-et-Marne, and the former Hôtel Moderne became a museum. Part of this museum is dedicated to Pierre Mac Orlan, whose house can only be visited by individuals at strictly very limited times, although their present publicity is ambiguous. Needless to say, we arrived – almost inevitably – when the museum/house wasn't open. There was, though, an exhibition on Pierre Mac Orlan and his relation to music.
Mac Orlan was fascinated by music in general and different musical genres, and was interested in both the authors and the interpreters. He also made a collection of records from around Europe.
Finally, a homage to Mac Orlan's Les Poissons morts, by Tio (2009):
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