TOULOUSE-LAUTREC, Henri de (Albi, 1864 – Malromé, 1901)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born the oldest son of the Count and Countess of Toulouse on 24 November 1864 in Albi. Painter and printmaker, in 1872 he moved to Paris with his mother to begin his studies. Two falls in 1878 and 1879 resulting in broken thigh-bones of both legs, interrupted his growth. He revealed a talent for drawing at an early age and in 1882 decided to become a painter. He first trained in Léon Bonnat’s studio and later continued with Fernand Cormon. In 1884, he settled in Montmartre close to the studio of Degas who influenced him during his formative years with regard to technique and subject-matter.
From 1889 onwards Toulouse-Lautrec frequently participated in the Salon des Indépendants, while he also had contact with Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters (including Bernard, Van Gogh and Signac).
In the 1890s he travelled to Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and England, where he met the writer Oscar Wilde. In 1891 he produced his first posters and the following year, his first lithographs. Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters, which were very well received by the public, were visually striking, relying on bold and simple lines accompanied by large areas of colour. The subject-matter of his paintings reflected his urban environment; as a young man he depicted sporting themes, especially the world of horses, later moving towards everyday scenes in brothels, circuses, theatres, cafés and fashionable bars in Paris. In 1899 the artist’s health suffered a serious relapse due to his excessive consumption of alcohol and his painting became increasingly sombre and with greater use of impasto. He died on 9 September 1901 at the age of thirty-seven at Malromé Castle, near Bordeaux.
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