In the Limelight: Toulouse-Lautrec Portraits

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec enjoyed the spectacle, the night life, and the tawdry side of Belle Époque Paris. Best known for his art portraying the café-concert and the entertainers who performed there, this exhibition explores how Toulouse-Lautrec used portraiture to comment on the absurdity and excess of Bohemian life in Paris at the turn of the century. The show examines the relationship between portraiture, caricature, and rise of the cult of celebrity in the late 19th century, while focusing on the artist’s portraits of entertainers who became icons of the Parisian nightlife.

Featuring 100 drawings, prints, and posters, the exhibition showcases the artist’s satirical portraits of stage personalities like Sarah Bernhardt, Jane Avril, and Arstide Bruant alongside those of his friends and family. 

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.