The Phillips Collection
February 4 through April 30, 2017
In a special exhibition opening o n February 4 , The Phillips Collection presents an extraordinary selection of Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec’s iconic and rare printed work s from nearly the entire period of his lithographic career ( 1891 – 1899 ) . An inaugural collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque assembles, for the first time in the United States, close to 100 defining images of late 19th - century Montmartre , drawn from one of the leading collections of prints and posters by Toulouse - Lautrec .
The son of a wealthy noble family from Albi, France, Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec (1864 – 1901) is best known for capturing the heart of Parisian nightlife in dynamic cabaret and dance hall scenes inspired by the city’s burgeoning entertainment district . After training with academic painters in Paris, he established a studio in bohemian Montmartre and was regularly seen at livelyhot spots like the Chat Noir, the Mirliton, and the Moulin Rouge. His impressions of these local amusements fashioned a portrait of modern life. Toulouse - Lautrec’s arrival in Paris also coincided with both revival and innovation in the technology of color lithography .
Thesheer scale of theposte s plastered around the city transformed Paris nto an open air exhibition, whilelimited - edition lithographs and print albums designed for the home catered to collectors.
This exhibition highlights Toulouse - Lautrec’s embrace of printmaking and his experiments with the medium that revolutionized the field.
“I am delighted for the Phillips to exhibit such a rich collection of printed works by Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, who forever changed and shaped the art of lithography,” said Director Dorothy Kosinski. “This is a rare opportunity to see such a large colle tion that captures a defining moment in the artist’sprintmaking career on view in the United States.”
Included in the special exhibition at the Phillips is Toulouse - Lautrec ’s first lithograph, the poster Moulin Rouge , La Goulue (1891) , which made him an overnight success. Produced in some 3,000 impressions, the poster’s massive scale, fragmented forms, compressed pictorial space, and range of colors broke new ground . By presenting this significant work alongside a unique trial proof in black and white , the exhibition provid es a glimpse into the artist’s highly involved pr intmaking process . Other special features on view include never - before - published trial proofs , unique images , and rare prints displayed with richly colored final impressions.
Many of the poster s were commissioned by famous performers like Jane Avril, May Belfort , Aristide Bruant, and May Milton . The se personalities, among others, arebrought to life through Toulouse - Lautrec’s perceptive skills of observation and caricature. By maximizing the impact of just a few details, their celebrity was immortalized in these masterful works that caught the public’s
attention.
“This show is special because it not only features an impressive number of familiar images, but by displaying trial proofs, it also offers visitors a behind - the - scenes look at the genius of Toulouse - Lautrec’s prints.” said Renée Maurer, Associate Curator at the Phillips .
“Having attracted 145, 000 visitors to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque was a great success, one that I hope our partners from The Phillips Collection will also enjoy in this first collaboration, thanks to an exceptional collection ,” said Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts . “ The Paris of the belle époque is paraded before our eyes. What a privilege to be able to exhibit these rarely shown unique posters by Toulouse - Lautrec .”
The exhibition alsoincludes additional works by Toulouse - Lautrec’s contemporaries, such as
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Théophile Alexandre Steinlen’s famous posterTournée du Chat Noir ( 1896 ) and
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Louis Anquetin’s never-before-exhibited painting Inside Bruant’s Mirliton ( 1886 – 1887 ) Oil on canvas , 57 1⁄16 × 61 13⁄16 in . Private collection.
Once considered lost, with only preliminary drawings as evidence of its existence, Anquetin’s large painting invites viewers inside Aristide Bruant’s lively cabaret the Mirliton, where Toulouse - Lautrec, Bruant, and Émile Bernard watch entertainer La Goulue perform.
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION AND TOULOUSE - LAUTREC
During his lifetime, museum founder Duncan Phillips acquired four works on paper by Toulouse - Lautrec. His first purchase made in 1927 was the lithograph Miss May Belfort ( large plate ) (1895) . In 1939, Phillips presented the museum’s only previous exhibition of Toulouse - Lautrec’s art, containing 55 works (drawings, prints, and paintings) sourced from the Art Institute of Chicago and private collections. Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque marks the first solo showing of the artist’s work at the Phillips in nearly 80 years. As a complement to the exhibition, an installation of work by Toulouse - Lautrec’s contemporaries and inspiration will be on view in nearby permanent collection galleries.
The son of a wealthy noble family from Albi, France, Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec (1864 – 1901) is best known for capturing the heart of Parisian nightlife in dynamic cabaret and dance hall scenes inspired by the city’s burgeoning entertainment district . After training with academic painters in Paris, he established a studio in bohemian Montmartre and was regularly seen at livelyhot spots like the Chat Noir, the Mirliton, and the Moulin Rouge. His impressions of these local amusements fashioned a portrait of modern life. Toulouse - Lautrec’s arrival in Paris also coincided with both revival and innovation in the technology of color lithography .
Thesheer scale of theposte s plastered around the city transformed Paris nto an open air exhibition, whilelimited - edition lithographs and print albums designed for the home catered to collectors.
This exhibition highlights Toulouse - Lautrec’s embrace of printmaking and his experiments with the medium that revolutionized the field.
“I am delighted for the Phillips to exhibit such a rich collection of printed works by Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, who forever changed and shaped the art of lithography,” said Director Dorothy Kosinski. “This is a rare opportunity to see such a large colle tion that captures a defining moment in the artist’sprintmaking career on view in the United States.”
Included in the special exhibition at the Phillips is Toulouse - Lautrec ’s first lithograph, the poster Moulin Rouge , La Goulue (1891) , which made him an overnight success. Produced in some 3,000 impressions, the poster’s massive scale, fragmented forms, compressed pictorial space, and range of colors broke new ground . By presenting this significant work alongside a unique trial proof in black and white , the exhibition provid es a glimpse into the artist’s highly involved pr intmaking process . Other special features on view include never - before - published trial proofs , unique images , and rare prints displayed with richly colored final impressions.
Many of the poster s were commissioned by famous performers like Jane Avril, May Belfort , Aristide Bruant, and May Milton . The se personalities, among others, arebrought to life through Toulouse - Lautrec’s perceptive skills of observation and caricature. By maximizing the impact of just a few details, their celebrity was immortalized in these masterful works that caught the public’s
attention.
“This show is special because it not only features an impressive number of familiar images, but by displaying trial proofs, it also offers visitors a behind - the - scenes look at the genius of Toulouse - Lautrec’s prints.” said Renée Maurer, Associate Curator at the Phillips .
“Having attracted 145, 000 visitors to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque was a great success, one that I hope our partners from The Phillips Collection will also enjoy in this first collaboration, thanks to an exceptional collection ,” said Nathalie Bondil, Director General and Chief Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts . “ The Paris of the belle époque is paraded before our eyes. What a privilege to be able to exhibit these rarely shown unique posters by Toulouse - Lautrec .”
The exhibition alsoincludes additional works by Toulouse - Lautrec’s contemporaries, such as
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Théophile Alexandre Steinlen’s famous posterTournée du Chat Noir ( 1896 ) and
Louis Anquetin’s never-before-exhibited painting Inside Bruant’s Mirliton ( 1886 – 1887 ) Oil on canvas , 57 1⁄16 × 61 13⁄16 in . Private collection.
Once considered lost, with only preliminary drawings as evidence of its existence, Anquetin’s large painting invites viewers inside Aristide Bruant’s lively cabaret the Mirliton, where Toulouse - Lautrec, Bruant, and Émile Bernard watch entertainer La Goulue perform.
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION AND TOULOUSE - LAUTREC
During his lifetime, museum founder Duncan Phillips acquired four works on paper by Toulouse - Lautrec. His first purchase made in 1927 was the lithograph Miss May Belfort ( large plate ) (1895) . In 1939, Phillips presented the museum’s only previous exhibition of Toulouse - Lautrec’s art, containing 55 works (drawings, prints, and paintings) sourced from the Art Institute of Chicago and private collections. Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque marks the first solo showing of the artist’s work at the Phillips in nearly 80 years. As a complement to the exhibition, an installation of work by Toulouse - Lautrec’s contemporaries and inspiration will be on view in nearby permanent collection galleries.
Images in the Exhibition:
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, Moulin Rouge, La Goulue , 1891. Brush and spatter lithograph, printed in four colors. Key stone printed in black, color stones in yellow, red, and blue on three sheets of wove paper, 75 3⁄16 × 46 1⁄6 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, The Englishman at the Moulin Rouge , 1892. Brush and spatter lithograph, printed in six or seven colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in aubergine, blue, red, yellow , and black on wove paper. State II/II, 21 × 14 3⁄4 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, Ambassadeurs, Aristide Bruant , 1892. Brush and spatter lithograph, printed in five colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in orange, red, blue and black on two sheets of wove paper , 52 15⁄16 × 36 5⁄8 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , Divan Japonais , 1892 – 93. Crayon, brush, spatter, and transferred screen lithograph, printed in four colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in black, yellow, and red on wove paper, 31 3/4 × 23 15⁄16 in. Private collection
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Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , Cover for L’Estampe originale, 1893. Brush and spatter lithograph, printed in six c olors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in beige, salmon red, red, yellow, and black on wove paper. Only state, 22 1/4 × 25 11⁄16 in. Private collection 
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, Jane Avril , 1893 . Brush and spatter lithograph, key stone printed in olive green on wove paper . Trial proof, 47 9⁄16 × 33 7⁄8 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, Jane Avril , 1893. Brush and spatter lithograph, printed in five colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in yellow, orange, red , and black on wove paper, 48 13⁄16 × 36 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, At the Ambassadeurs, Singer at the Café - Concert , 1894 . Crayon, brush and spatter lithograph, printed in six colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color st ones in yellow, beige - gray, salmon pink, black , and blue on wove paper . Only state , 12 × 9 3/4 in .
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , The Box with the Gilded Mask , about 1894. Crayon, brush , and spatter lithograph with scraper, printed i n five colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in red or brown - red, yellow, gray - beige, and black - olive green or black on imitation Japan paper. Only state, 14 5⁄8 × 12 7⁄8 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , Mademoiselle Marcelle Lender, Half - length , 1895. Crayon, brush , and spatter lithograph, printed in eight colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in yellow, red, dark pink, turquoise - green, blue, gray , and yellow - green on wove paper. State IV/IV, 12 15⁄16 × 9 5⁄8 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , May Belfort , 1895. Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph , printed in five colors. K ey stone printed in olive green, color stones in red , black, gray , and yellow on wove paper, 31 5⁄16 × 24 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , May Milton , 1895. Crayon, brush, spatter, and transferred screen lithograph, printed in five colors. Key stone printed in olive green, color stones in blue, red, yellow, and black on wove paper, 31 5⁄16 × 24 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , Mademoiselle Églantine’s Troupe , 1895 – 96. Brush, spatter, and crayon l ithograph, printed in three colors. Key stone printed in turquoise, color stones in red and yellow on wove paper, 24 5⁄16 × 31 5⁄8 in. Private collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , The Photographer Sescau , 1896. Brush, crayon, and spatter lithograph , printed in five colors. Key stone printed in blue, color stones in red, yellow , and green on wove paper, remarque in black, 23 7⁄8 × 31 ½ in. Private Collection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , The Simpson Chain , 1896 . Brush, c rayon, and spatter lithograph , printed in three colors. Key stone printed in blue, color stones in red and yellow on wove paper , 32 5⁄8 × 47 1/4 in. Private Collection Toulouse - Lautrec Illustrates the Belle Époque February 4 – April 30, 2017
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , The Jockey , 1899 . Crayon , brush, and spatter lithograph, printed in six colors. Key stone printed in black, color stones in turquoise - green, red, brown, gray - beige and blue on China paper . State II /II , 20 3 / 8 × 14 1/4 in . Private c ollection
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec , Jane Avril , 1899 . Brush lithograph, printed in four colors from three stones . Key stone printed in black, one color stone in red, one in yellow and blue on wove paper , 22 1⁄16 × 14 15⁄16 in. Private collection