sobota, 3 września 2011

Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avril Beyond the Moulin Rouge, a must see exhibition

Wandering around London on a hot Saturday afternoon can always bring some surprises! Today after nice walk on the Waterloo bridge I noticed that The Courtlaud Gallery in the Somerset House currently shows a temporary exhibition of one of my favourite artists- Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, I could not miss a chance to see it. I admire Toulouse-Lautrec as an artists and most importantly as a person, since my very good friend gave me as a birthday present a moving biography of this artists, Moulin Rouge, which I recommend for everyone to read. Until 18th of September 2011, The Courtauld Gallery shows exhibition Toulouse Lautrec and Jane Avril Beyond the Moulin Rouge, free entrance for full-time students.

Courtland Gallery is a small museum, but one which exhibits one of the most astonishing artists such as Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, Seurat, Rubens, Gaugin, Kandinsky and many others. In Courtland Gallery one can admire such famous paintings as The Luncheon on the Grass by Eduard Manet, Van Gogh‘s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear or Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.


Exhibition Toulouse Lautrec and Jane Avril Beyond the Moulin Rouge shows an artistic relationship between Toulouse Lautrec and Moulin Rouge dancer- Jane Avril. While most of us recognise Toulouse-Lautrec’s  avangarde posters and paintings, not many heard of  his muse, Jane Avril. Both artists met in Toulouse-Lautrec’s favourite night club in Montmarte, Paris- Moulin Rouge. Jane Avril was one of the stars in Moulin Rouge in 1890s, in fact her fame flourished thanks to series of posters featuring her by Tolouse-Lautrec. They were close friends in 19th century Paris. Portraits by Toulouse-Lautrec are particularly interesting because they capture Jane Avril not only as a dancer in Moulin Rouge but also as a private person in a completely private settings. Moreover, exhibition reveals that Jane Avril eccentricity perhaps comes from the fact that she was a patient of a mental hospital, suffering from a strange illness which influenced her movements- therefore also her dance in the Moulin Rouge. It has to be remembered that also Toulouse-Lautrec was an extraordinary person, unfortunately suffering from a rare genetic disease. Therefore, both are quite peculiar characters who nevertheless represent the essence of artistic Paris in 1890s. It is a very first exhibition concerning their relationship and I found the theme of this small exhibition and a selection of few but wonderful posters and paintings extremely interesting.

For an introduction to the exhibition see:

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