NEW YORK — After more than 30 years, the Museum of Modern Art brings together over 100 original prints and posters from legendary post-impressionist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), in “The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters.”
Organized thematically, the exhibition focuses on the Parisian life and its inspiration for Lautrec’s myriad of posters and illustrations, depicting his observations of politics and the rise of popular entertainment such as cabarets and café-concerts in the late 19th century.
“In his practice, he really is an observer,” said Sarah Suzuki, Associate Curator at the Department of Drawings and Prints at MoMA. “All depicted with a gimlet eye. There is not really a gloss.”
From rare color posters portraying Jane Avril and her performance at the Jardin de Paris to his pivotal portfolio of 12 works Elles (1896), which captures the quiet moments of brothel workers pinning their hair or having coffee in the boudoir, Lautrec found inspiration from all walks of Parisian city life, despite his aristocratic background.
The exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street in Manhattan, is open now through March 22nd.
