At the Moulin Rouge

Description

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec has been associated with the Moulin Rouge since its opening in 1889: the owner of the legendary nightclub bought the artist’s Equestrienne as a decoration for the foyer. Toulouse-Lautrec populated At the Moulin Rouge with portraits of the legendary nightclub’s regulars, including himself—the diminutive figure in the center background—accompanied by his cousin, physician Gabriel Tapié de Céleyran. Dancer La Goulue arranges her hair behind the table where Jane Avril, another famous performer, socializes. Singer May Milton peers out from the right edge of the painting, her face harshly lit and acid green. At some point, the artist or his dealer cut down the canvas to remove Milton, perhaps because her strange appearance made the work hard to sell. Whatever the reason, by 1914 the cut section had been reattached to the painting.

Provenance

Maurice Joyant, executor of the artist's estate and co-director of Galerie Manzi-Joyant, Paris, by 1902 [according to Heller 1986]; sold to Manzi [according to Dortu 1971 and Heller 1986]. Jean Laroche, Paris, 1926. Paul Rosenberg [according to Dortu 1971]. Mssrs. Reid & Lefevre, London, June 1928. Frederick Clay Bartlett, Chicago; given to the Art Institute, 1928.

At the Moulin Rouge

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

1892–95

Accession Number

61128

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

123 × 141 cm (48 7/16 × 55 1/2 in.); Framed: 136.9 × 154.7 × 8.5 cm (53 7/8 × 60 7/8 × 3 5/16 in.)

Classification

oil on canvas

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection