Toulouse-Lautrec's Earliest Portraits on Display at Harvard's Fogg Art Museum
The Paintings in Three Women: Early Portraits by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Represent an Avant-Garde Approach to Portraiture of the Artist as a Young Man
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The Hangover
(Suzanne Valadon),
1887-1889. Oil on canvas. 45.09 x 53.34 cm.
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University.
CAMBRIDGE, MA (April 2, 2002) – This exhibition brings together six portrait paintings by Toulouse-Lautrec for the first time. Opening at the Fogg Art Museum April 6 and continuing through July 21, 2002, Three Women: Early Portraits by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec offers a view of Toulouse-Lautrec's earliest work while encouraging an examination of the artist's innovative approach to portraiture and an investigation of the roles of women in the Paris art world of the 1880s.
Anchored by The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon) from the Fogg Art Museum's Wertheim Collection, each of these six portraits depicts its sitter in quiet, contemplative moments, in contrast with the highly theatrical or eroticized depictions of performers and prostitutes so well known in Toulouse-Lautrec's work. The women portrayed in these paintings, Jeanne Wenz, Carmen Gaudin, and Valadon, were all members of the artistic circles of the time, but it is only recently that these works have been identified as portraits of individuals rather than illustrations of types.
"We are pleased to organize this focused exhibition of early portraits by Toulouse-Lautrec within the intimate setting of the Fogg Art Museum galleries," said James Cuno, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director of the Harvard University Art Museums. "It is this intimate environment, combined with an art historical approach to exhibition development, that provides our audiences with a unique and enjoyable viewing experience."
These paintings are the first mature works of Toulouse-Lautrec's career. All were finished before his first commercial success, the Moulin Rouge poster of 1891 that catapulted the artist into the public eye and determined the direction of his career. This gathering of early portraits offers a chance to see these works together for the first time since they were created in his studio.
"Portraits were among the first, and the last, works Toulouse-Lautrec made during his brief life," said Sarah B. Kianovsky, assistant curator of Paintings, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts, Fogg Art Museum. "This exhibition affords the visitor the opportunity to experience these small, intimate portraits not as footnotes to a career, but as an important facet of the artist's oeuvre."
A complimentary essay by Kianovsky with illustrations is available to exhibition visitors.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901)
Born at Albi into an aristocratic family, Toulouse-Lautrec might never
have become a serious artist had his physical fragility not made it impossible
for him to ride and hunt with the rest of the men of his family. After
considerable persuasion, his parents allowed him to study art, first with
René Princeteau, known for his paintings of horses, later with
society portraitist Leon Bonnat, and finally with Fernand Cormon, who
specialized in scenes of prehistoric life. Cormon's studio was most influential
for Toulouse-Lautrec's career because of the technical skills he acquired
and the bonds he developed with other artists.
Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his depictions of Montmartre in the 1890s. His graphic works and paintings played an important role in popularizing this working-class district and transforming it into an entertainment destination for the upper classes.
About the Harvard University Art Museums
The Harvard University Art Museums are one of the world's leading arts
institutions, with the Arthur M. Sackler, Busch-Reisinger, and Fogg art
museums, the Straus Center for Conservation, and the U.S. headquarters
for the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, an excavation project in
western Turkey.
The Harvard University Art Museums are distinguished by the range and depth of their collections, their groundbreaking exhibitions, and the original research of their staff. As an integral part of the Harvard community, the three Art Museums serve as a resource for all students, adding a special dimension to their areas of study. The public is welcome to experience the collections and exhibitions as well as to enjoy lectures, symposia, and other programs.
For more than a century, the Harvard University Art Museums have been the nation's premier training ground for museum professionals and scholars and are renowned for their role in the development of the discipline of art history in this country.
Location and Hours
The Fogg Art Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum are located at
32 Quincy Street in Cambridge. The Arthur M. Sackler Museum is located
next door at 485 Broadway. Each Museum is a short walk from the Harvard
Square MBTA station.
Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 1 – 5 p.m.; the Museums are closed on national holidays. Admission is $5; $4 for seniors; $3 for students; and free for those under 18 years of age. The Museums are free to everyone all day on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. until noon. The Harvard University Art Museums receive support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. More detailed information is available at 617-495-9400 or on the Internet at www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.
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