Café de la Rotonde

Café de la Rotonde opened its doors in 1911 under the guidance of its first proprietor, Victor Libion. In the years following its founding, the café became a central hub for the impoverished but vibrant artistic community of Montparnasse. Libion gained a reputation for his extreme generosity, famously allowing struggling artists to linger for hours over a single ten-centime coffee. He also established a unique arrangement where patrons without money could settle their tabs by offering sketches or drawings as collateral. This informal exchange effectively turned the café walls into an evolving gallery of work by some of the most influential figures of the twentieth century, including Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani.