Le Lapin Agile is a restaurant and cabaret in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, France. It has always had a bohemian reputation, and at the turn of the last century many artists and writers met there to socialize. In the downstairs dining room, an upright piano kept the scene lively in the evenings, with a midget to dance on top of the piano. The Barman worked at the downstairs bar, while sometimes a prostitute might stand outside the establishment to find clients.
In September 1908, Norman Rockwell brought his new friend, Indiana Jones to the restaurant, where Jones ordered in French. While they were eating, they overheard Edgar Degas arguing with Pablo Picasso, while Georges Braque played the accordion. After Degas stormed out, Picasso claimed that he could outdo the old master - a claim rejected by Rockwell. Picasso, Fernande Olivier, and Braque took the boys back to their studio to prove Picasso right.
Inside the dining room
The next evening, Picasso held a costume party in the upstairs area, in honor of his fellow artist Henri Rousseau. Quite a few of Picasso's social circle attended, including Gertrude Stein, Kahnweiler, and the two boys. While Rousseau was telling a ghost story, the party was crashed by Helen Seymour, who had been informed by the barman where the party was being held. Picasso took Seymour at gunpoint to draw her portrait. As the party was breaking up, Kahnweiler expressed his interest in the Degas painting that Picasso had.
The next day in Le Lapin Agile's dining room, Kahnweiler, Picasso and his friends waited for Degas to arrive. Kahnweiler asked the old maestro to sign the painting, and Degas painted his signature after some coaxing. Picasso revealed his plot to humiliate Degas by making a fake painting so well that even the old painter was fooled by it. Jones turned the tables on Picasso by selling Kahnweiler his Picasso drawing - showing that Picasso's work could be faked as well, this time by Rockwell. Kahnweiler bought both pieces, not knowing their true creators, and Jones and his friends celebrated.
Behind the scenes
Le Lapin Agile, as it appears in the episode, differs significantly from the small real-life building.
Appearances
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Paris, September 1908" → Passion for Life
- Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar (Mentioned only)
