The Académie de la Grande Chaumière (French pronunciation: [akademi də la ɡʁɑ̃d ʃomjɛʁ]) is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France. The impeding closure of the school in July 2025 received major criticism from art heritage groups.
The school over the years had trained major figures of the School of Paris as well as being staffed by well-known artists.
History
The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the Académie Colarossi. From 1909, the Académie was jointly directed by painters Martha Stettler, Alice Dannenberg, and Lucien Simon. The school, which was devoted to painting and sculpture, did not teach the strict academic rules of painting of the École des Beaux-Arts, thus producing art free of academic constraints. One attraction was the low fees, even lower than those of the Académie Julian (which had to be paid in advance). It was said about the school that all that was provided was a model and warmth in the winter.
In 1957, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière was acquired by the Charpentier family, founders of the Charpentier Academy. It still operates under its original name, and provides two free workshops, one for painting and drawing, the other for sketches, as well as evening classes.
The Académie's building owner Yves Salats died in 2017, and the building was inherited by three different associations which decided to auction it for sale in 2018. The psychoanalyst Serge Zagdanski was named Director of the Académie in 2018.
In July 2025, the school faced closure with the building slated to be converted into a commercial project. The proposal and its developer Alexandre Garèse, who owns the school, drew major criticsm from conservation and artistic groups.