Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec drew the Parisian nightlife of Montmartre – and in passing invented the modern poster.

Life

Born in Albi in 1864 into an aristocratic family, he broke both legs as a teenager; they stopped growing afterwards, probably because of a congenital condition. He studied painting in Paris and moved to Montmartre, where he drew in cabarets, dance halls and circuses. In 1891 his poster for the Moulin Rouge made him famous. He died in 1901, aged only 36, at the family château of Malromé.

Style & technique

Lautrec captured people with a few unerring lines – dancers, singers, patrons, often unsparingly. From Japanese prints he took flat areas of colour, bold cropping and silhouettes. In colour lithography he found his medium: strong, graphic, made for the street.

Look closely

  • The silhouettes: a single black shape is enough for a whole figure.
  • The cropping: figures cut off at the edge, as if caught by chance.
  • The lettering: on posters, image and type belong together.

Timeline

  • 1864: Born in Albi.
  • 1882: Training in Paris.
  • 1891: Poster “Moulin Rouge – La Goulue”.
  • 1893: Poster for the dancer Jane Avril.
  • 1901: Dies at the Château de Malromé.

Works in the museum