BEEHIVE, THE

French La Ruche, an artists' settlement on the outskirts of Montparnasse (Paris), which in the early 20th century was the centre of avant-garde activity. The Beehive housed the living quarters and studios of many painters and sculptors, among them Marc Chagall, Fernand Lger, Robert Delaunay, Chaim Soutine, Jacques Lipchitz, Henri Laurens, Alexander Archipenko, Albert Gleizes, Jean Metzinger, and Andr Lhote. In addition, this bohemian colony attracted the poets Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, Blaise Cendrars, and Pierre Reverdy.