Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet, and art collector who was a central figure in the Parisian art world. She was born on February 3, 1874, in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and died on July 27, 1946, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
Her Paris home was a renowned Saturday evening gathering place for both established and budding artists and writers, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Henri Matisse.
In literature, Stein is perhaps best known for her innovative and experimental works that play with form and structure, such as “Three Lives” (1909), “Tender Buttons” (1914), and “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas” (1933). The latter is her most commercially successful book and is written from the perspective of her life partner, Alice B. Toklas.
Stein’s works typically include stream-of-consciousness techniques, extensive repetition, and nonlinear narratives. Her style has been associated with Cubist art in its attempt to break up and reassemble structure in novel ways. Some of her most famous lines include “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” and “There is no there there,” both examples of her unique and playful use of language.
Beyond her own writing, Stein had a significant impact as an art collector. She, along with her brother Leo Stein, amassed an impressive collection of modern art, including works by Picasso, Matisse, and Cézanne. This collection helped introduce and promote these artists to a wider audience.
Despite the controversy surrounding her political views, particularly her alleged collaboration with the Vichy regime in France during World War II, Stein’s influence on 20th-century literature and art is undeniable.
Apartment
Gertrude Stein’s apartment was located at 27 rue de Fleurus, in the Saint-Germain neighborhood or 6th arrondissement of Paris, near the Luxembourg Gardens. The apartment was a famous gathering place for many influential artists and writers of the period.
The apartment itself is not a museum and is not open to the public. However, you can still visit the location and see the building from the outside.
There are also many other sites of interest in Paris associated with the expatriate artists and writers of Stein’s time, including the nearby Shakespeare and Company bookstore and various cafes in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area that were frequented by the literary and artistic circles of the time.
