The Group of the Nine Artists

With the arrival of the railways in 1864 and the emergence of regular holidays, Ciboure quickly became an important hideout for artists coming from all sorts of walks of life. In the 1920s, the Groupe des Neuf (Group of the Nine Artists) took up residence in Ciboure, between the Rue Pocalette and the Anchochoury Guesthouse. This group, part of the Impressionistic and Postimpressionistic movement, was dominated by the figures of Ramiro Arrue, Labrouche, Ribera, Choquet and Masson. It contributed to the emergence of a pluralistic Basque region painting, which drew its inspiration from the depiction of scenes of everyday life, in the port and in the countryside. Other famous painters adopted this preserved refuge, such as Henri Matisse, who painted “Intérieur à Ciboure” (“Interior in Ciboure”) in June 1940.