Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec received lessons in 1882 in Paris from René Princeteau, an acquaintance of his father, and subsequently worked in the studio of the successful painter Léon Bonnat. In 1885, he opened his own studio in Montmartre. His work shows the life in and around the cafés, brothels and theatres of Montmartre. His visits to the brothels allowed him to produce nude paintings without women having to pose for him. In 1891 he made his first series of posters and a year later he began experimenting with multi-coloured lithography. This posters brought Toulouse-Lautrec considerable fame, particularly his posters of the Moulin Rouge, a commission for the cabaret of the same name which had just been opened.