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The Italian painter (1884–1920) and sculptor arrived in Paris in 1906, when he was 22, and was greatly influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec and the other artists on the Montmartre scene.

This belle époque restaurant and cabaret was a popular hang-out for Picasso, Renoir, and poets Apollinaire and Paul Verlaine. It took its name from a humorous painting by André Gill of a rabbit (lapin ) leaping over a cooking pot, called the “Lapin à Gill”. In time it became known by its current name (“nimble rabbit”). It is still a popular and atmospheric evening venue.

The main graveyard for the district lies beneath a busy road in an old gypsum quarry, though it’s more restful than first appears when you actually get below street level. The illustrious tombs, many with ornately sculpted monuments, packed tightly into this intimate space reflect the artistic bent of the former residents, who include composers Hector Berlioz and Jacques Offenbach, writers Stendhal and Alexandre Dumas, German poet Heinrich Heine, Russian dancer Nijinsky and the film director François Truffaut.

Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834 and lived in the city for the whole of his life, most of the time in Montmartre. He died here in 1917 and is buried in the Montmartre cemetery (see Cimetière de Montmartre).

Manet (1832–83) spent a lot of time in Montmartre and scandalized the art world with his paintings of nudes, including the famous Olympia (see Olympia).

More than any other artist, Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) is associated with Montmartre for his sketches and posters of dancers at the Moulin Rouge and other dance halls. They epitomize the era to this day (see Jane Avril Dancing).

Utrillo (1883–1955) often painted the Auberge de la Bonne-Franquette, an atmospheric depiction of old Montmartre. His mother was the artist Suzanne Valadon and they both lived at 12 rue Cortot, now the Musée de Montmartre.

Montmartre once had more than 30 windmills, used for pressing grapes and grinding wheat; this is one of only two still standing. During the siege of Paris in 1814 its owner, Pierre-Charles Debray, was crucified on its sails by Russian soldiers. It became a dance hall in the 19th century and inspired paintings by Renoir and Van Gogh (see Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh. It is now closed to the public, but it can be admired from outside and rue Lepic is worth a visit for its street market.

The Moulin Rouge (“red windmill”) is the most famous of the belle époque dance halls which scandalized respectable citizens and attracted Montmartre’s artists and Bohemians. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the era with his sketches and posters of dancers such as Jane Avril, some of which which now grace the Musée d’Orsay. Cabaret is still performed here.