The name Montparnasse stems from the nickname "Mount Parnassus" (In Greek mythology, home to the nine Greek goddesses (the Muses) of the arts and sciences) given to the hilly neighborhood in the 17th century by students who came there to recite poetry.

The hill was levelled to construct the Boulevard Montparnasse in the 18th century, and during the French Revolution many dance halls and cabarets opened their doors.

Like its counterpart, Montmartre, the neighborhood of Montparnasse became famous at the beginning of the 20th century, referred to as the Années Folles (the Crazy Years), when it was the heart of intellectual and artistic life in Paris with its legendary cafés. In the years between 1910 to 1940, the gist of Paris' artistic circles gradually moved from Montmartre to Montparnasse.

Turn-of-the-century Montparnasse defined the term "starving artist" as virtually penniless painters, sculptors, writers, poets and composers came from around the world to thrive in the creative atmosphere and for the cheap rent at artist communes such as La Ruche.