Extra Content 1 of Drop #7, Leon Indembaum. Photo. The building in the picture is La Ruche, also called beehive due to its shape, is located in the Vaugirard district on the edge of Montparnasse. La Ruche was an old polygonal structure which, with its numerous ateliers, gave hospitality to many of the greatest painters and sculptors of the early twentieth century, such as Modigliani, Soutine and Chagall. Each room had the shape of a slice of cake, in the tip a space for the kitchen and closet while above the door a small mezzanine served as a sleeping area. These were studios which were often also shared. During the Second World War the structure went into decline and risked demolition but, thanks to a committee created by Marc Chagall as honorary president and by 30 other artists, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Jean Renoir and Renato Guttuso, the land it was repurchased and donated to the French state, creating a nationalfoundation that made it untouchable. Artists of all nationalities still live there, more or less permanently.