«I have always been a pencil» said Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Certainly the painter who interpreted the Parisian Belle Époque at the end of the nineteenth century was one of the greatest designers of his time and it was his intuition that elevated advertising posters to works of art. The exhibition is dedicated precisely to the graphic part, in the last phase of the artist’s career Henri de Toulouse Lautrec – The world of the circus and Montmartre at the National Historical Museum of Artillery – Mastio della Cittadella from today to 21 July. Produced by Navigare srl, sponsored by the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin, the exhibition is curated by Joan Abelló, and presents over 100 works, including posters, illustrations and lithographs, from private Spanish collections.
The route unfolds in 5 sections characterized by different colours: The posters and illustrations; The Women and Elles; The circus; The portraits; The multimedia experience where a small boudoir has been set up for selfies.
«The heart of the project – says Vittoria Mainoldi, critic and coordinator of the exhibition’s technical-scientific committee – focuses on the most modern and significant period, that of affiche, posters and illustrations. There is a lachrymose mythography about Lautrec that describes him as poor, a dwarf, a drunkard, who goes to prostitutes. In reality he was an artist with a profound sensitivity and intelligence who describes human beings without judging: artists, women from brothels, many of them queer, singers. He was a pioneer, without him there would have been no Andy Wahrol: they both had a passion for the night, they didn’t accept their bodies and they loved advertising.”
Among the posters dated 1892-1895, those created for the shows of Aristide Bruant, celebrity of Le Chat Noir in Montmartre, and of the Divan Japonais, another popular bohemian venue, stand out. For the illustrations, we highlight those created for the satirical magazine Le Rire, in which characters and artists of the Parisian nights are portrayed.
Also of particular interest are the 12 prints from the Elles series, with portraits of Montmartre prostitutes with whom Toulouse-Lautrec shared his daily life, having chosen to live for long periods in brothels.
The section dedicated to the circus world is interesting with 39 lithographs. «They are drawings made from memory – says Abelló – while he was hospitalized in a sanatorium to detoxify from alcohol. The stroke is precise and safe because he wanted to convince the doctors that he was fine and could go out. And he succeeded.”
These are works printed posthumously thanks to Maurice Joyant, Lautrec’s close friend, biographer and executor, who contributed decisively to the diffusion of the artist’s work.
The exhibition is created in co-production with Diffusione Cultura Srl and AICS Provincial Committee of Turin and in collaboration Difesa Servizi SpA, Reial Cercle Artìstic, Glocal Project Consulting and Ono Arte Contemporanea. Open every day continuously (Mon-Fri 9.30am-7.30pm; Saturday, Sunday and holidays 9.30am-8.30pm).
Tags: ToulouseLautrec works display Turin advertising elevated art
