ToulouseLautrec

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (1864–1901), commonly known as Toulouse-Lautrec, was a French painter, draftsman, printmaker, and illustrator associated with the Post-Impressionist movement. He is best known for his posters and paintings documenting the Parisian nightlife of the Belle Époque, especially Montmartre and the Moulin Rouge.

Born in Albi to an aristocratic family, Toulouse-Lautrec suffered from a congenital bone condition that limited his growth, leaving him with short stature and lifelong frailty. He moved to Paris to study art, attending private studios and the Académie Julian, and began producing drawings, paintings, and posters in the 1880s.

In Paris he joined the bohemian circle of artists and became a prolific poster artist as well as painter. Working primarily in lithography, he created bold, economical compositions with strong outlines, flat areas of color, and a candid view of performers and patrons in nightlife venues. He was influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints and by contemporary poster art, and his works helped elevate the poster to a legitimate art form and a vehicle for modern advertising.

Toulouse-Lautrec left a large body of work that includes not only posters but also paintings and drawings that offer social observations of cabaret life, dancers, singers, and courtesans. He died in 1901 at the Château Malromé in southwestern France. His posters and paintings remain widely studied for their stylistic innovations and are held in major museum collections worldwide.