The Île de la Jatte or Île de la Grande Jatte is an island in the river Seine, located in the department of Hauts-de-Seine, and shared between the two communes of Neuilly-sur-Seine and Levallois. It is situated at the very gates of Paris, being 7 km distant (in a straight line) from the towers of Notre Dame and 3 km from the Place de l'Étoile. The island, which has about 4,000 inhabitants, is nearly 2 km long and almost 200 m wide at its widest point. Its name translates as "Island of the Bowl" or "Island of the Big Bowl". It is best known as the setting for Georges Seurat's pointillist oil painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-1886), itself the inspiration for the musical Sunday in the Park with George (1984). Pont de Levallois–Bécon Métro station lies close to the north-eastern end of the island.

History

In 1818, the Duke of Orléans, Louis-Philippe, acquired the Château de Neuilly to house his family of ten children. He bought the land and created a park which included the island, reachable only by boat. He also moved the Temple de Mars ('Temple of Mars'), which his father had commissioned, from Parc Monceau, and put it on the northern point of the island, converting it into the Temple de l’amour ('Temple of Love'). It was moved to the southern end of the island in 1930. Between 1850 and 1870, Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann further modified the island, and artists began painting there. At the end of the 19th century the island became known for its painters, especially the Impressionists. In addition to Georges Seurat, artist such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Alfred Sisley, Charles Angrand, and Albert Gleizes painted scenes of the island. In June 2009, a walk around the island (Île des Impressionnistes) was established, detailing the works of the Impressionists.

Artistic portrayal

Many artists have painted L’Île de la Grande Jatte:

Celebrities who have lived on the island

The following celebrities are known to have lived on the island: