The Rabbit Bulletin: AuLapinAgile

Rabbitseverywhere is back!!

If the last post, (1,5 years ago šŸ˜¬) was about a rabbit with peaceful tendencies, this rabbit quite the opposite. It is Le Lapin Agile, the emblem for the Parisian cabaret Au Lapin Agile.

Montmartreā€™s Au Lapin Agile is one of the worldā€™s most famous cabaret venues, founded in the late nineteenth-hundreds. It was frequented by the likes of including Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire, Roman Greco, Van Gogh and Utrillo. The photo showing a harlequin sitting by a table is made by Picasso and is depicting himself at the Cabaret.

The cultural legacy of Au Lapin Agile stretches beyond the cabaret itself. In the early nineties, American comic and writer Steve Martin wrote a play called Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The play recounts the fictionalized encounter between Picasso and Einstein at the venue.

The cabaret gets its name from a sign which was painted by the artist AndrƩ Gill in 1875. The sign features a rabbit with a top hat jumping out of a large pan holding a bottle of wine.

Thatā€™s my kind of rabbit!

Once the cabaret debuted the sign, many Montmartre residents began to call the place ā€œGillā€™s Rabbitā€, or Le Lapin Ć  Gill in French. This quickly morphed into Au Lapin Agile, which translates to ā€œThe Nimble Rabbit.ā€

The poster that can be seen among the photos is bought at Au Lapin Agile. After around 150 years the cabaret is still active, and once the COVID pandemic is over it is back to its usual nightly cabaret performances.

I guess the nimble rabbit, given his age, should now have received his two vaccine shots. Hopefully he should be ready to dance with his wine bottle again.

Recent Posts

Recent Comments