We take pleasure in visiting this beautiful four-room apartment that opens onto a flowery garden with views of the Eiffel Tower. It is also an opportunity to take a look back at the history of early 20th century France by reviewing the career of this leading statesman, Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929).
In 1896, Georges Clemenceau signed the lease of an apartment with garden, located in the village of Passy, previously occupied by Robert de Montesquiou between 1882 and about 1892. Having just experienced a political setback during the Panama scandal, he must sell his collections in 1894 to find financial resources. As a journalist, he followed the Dreyfus Affair, writing for its defence 665 articles - about 3,300 pages - between 1899 and 1903. During his terms in government, as President of the Council, Minister of the Interior (1906-1909) and then Minister of War (1917-1920), he continued to reside in this house, refusing to live in official palaces because, he said, "I do not want to live in furnished rooms." Clemenceau is also fighting his last battle, the installation of Water Lilies of Claude Monet at the Orangerie museum.
For thirty years, the decor evolves according to the tastes of its illustrious tenant. In 1926, his American friend James Douglas - who bought the building at an auction after the death of the owner to prevent Clemenceau from moving - had paint work done and modernized the bathroom. Upon the death of Father la Victoire in 1929, his relatives decided to make this apartment a museum. The decor of the apartment was left, after the legacy of the Tiger himself, as it was when he died.
On the first floor, a gallery exhibits many objects depicting the political and personal life of Georges Clemenceau.
