Divan Japonais

Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)

Date1893

Mediumcolor lithograph on cream wove paper

Dimensions77.5 x 59.7 cm (sheet)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineGift of the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation in memory of Kate Butler Peterson

Terms

Object number2011.479

Label TextArtist Édouard Fournier commissioned this lithograph for his short-lived nightclub Divan Japonais. The print is dominated by the cancan dancer Jane Avril as she watches a headless Yvette Guilbert on stage, easily recognizable by her long black gloves and partially green dress. A famed diseuse, or female monologuist, Guilbert was renowned for adding raunchy lyrics to traditional medieval French folksongs. Behind Avril is the symbolist art critic and early stream-of-consciousness novelist Édouard Dujardin. Toulouse-Lautrec employs an asymmetrical, flat composition with a restricted palette, characteristic of traditional Japanese prints.ProvenanceCollection of Hall and Kate Peterson, Minneapolos, MN and Petersham, MA

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