Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter, draftsman, lithographer, poster artist, and illustrator whose work captures the essence and atmosphere of Parisian life at the end of the 19th century.

Born on November 24, 1864, in Albi, and passing away on September 9, 1901, at Château Malromé in Saint-André-du-Bois, Toulouse-Lautrec came from an aristocratic family. He suffered from health conditions that affected his growth and stature. Despite his physical disabilities, he moved to Paris in his youth to pursue an artistic career. He first studied under Léon Bonnat and later with Fernand Cormon, where he befriended artists such as Vincent van Gogh. Lautrec quickly became a central figure in the bohemian life of Montmartre, capturing in his works the performances, cabarets, dancers, and scenes of Parisian nightlife.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec embodies the decadent spirit of the Belle Époque. Although he had a reputation for being a dilettante, he was a prolific artist, creating 737 paintings, 275 watercolors, and 5,000 drawings. He also worked as an illustrator and poster artist for the world of cabarets and cafés-concerts. He is ranked among the Post-Impressionists, alongside Gauguin and Van Gogh. A great admirer of Degas, he mastered the art of painting women in intimate moments, often leaning towards caricature. During his lifetime, his works depicting brothel scenes were considered licentious and provocative. He famously said, "Painting is like manure; it smells, it doesn’t explain itself."

Despite the controversial nature of his subjects, Lautrec enjoyed commercial success early in his career due to the popularity of his posters for Parisian nightclubs, which were strongly influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints.

During his lifetime, Lautrec’s work was largely misunderstood by his contemporaries due to his perceived depraved lifestyle and his focus on the underworld of prostitution. Few defended him, with the exception of Arsène Alexandre, a critic for Le Figaro, who saw him as a talented artist and a pioneer in the art of poster-making. Due to his difficult and almost deformed appearance, Lautrec only allowed himself to associate with prostitutes. He felt neither judged by them nor judged them himself. The world of brothels became one of his favorite themes in the 1890s, even though he could not exhibit his works freely, as they were deemed too scandalous. Lautrec eventually contracted syphilis, which, along with alcoholism, led to his premature death at the age of 36 in 1901.

Contact our expert to obtain valuations for works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.