Turin, at the Mastio della Cittadella the exhibition dedicated to Toulouse-Lautrec, interpreter of the Belle Époque

Turin, presented at the National Historical Museum of Artillery – Mastio della Cittadella in Turin, the exhibition Henri de Toulouse Lautrec – The world of the circus and Montmartre dedicated to the painter of the Ville Lumière of the late nineteenth century. The exhibition, produced by Navigare srl, sponsored by the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin, and curated by Joan Abelló, presents over 100 works, including posters, illustrations and lithographs, from private Spanish collections. The cultural initiative, organized by Difesa Servizi, an in-house company of the Ministry of Defence, is part of the project to promote military museum sites.

The exhibition itinerary, created in 5 sections: THE posters and illustrations; The Women ed Elles; The circus; The portraits; The multimedia experiencetraces the short life and artistic activity of the young aristocrat Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, recognized as one of the most representative bohemian artists of the time.

In the first section, dedicated to posters and illustrations, and composed of 28 works (8 posters, 19 lithographic print illustrations and 1 original brochure), the exhibition presents an overview of Lautrec’s activity in the field of advertising graphics, in which distinguished itself to the point of influencing subsequent developments.

Among the 8 posters dated 1892-1895, those created for the shows of Aristide Bruant, a celebrity of the venue, stand out Le Chat Noir of Montmartre and icon of French cabaret, and of Divan Japonais, another bohemian venue in vogue at that time. For the illustrations, those created for the historic satirical magazine are particularly noteworthy Le Rirein which characters and artists of Parisian nights are portrayed.

Also of particular interest are the 12 prints from the series on display Elles, dated 1952, in the second section, with portraits of prostitutes from the Montmartre district with whom Toulouse-Lautrec shared a particular daily life, having chosen to live in the maisons closes Parisians for some time.

The exhibition dedicates the third section to the circus world, a frequent subject in Toulouse-Lautrec’s production, with ample space and 39 lithographs. These are works printed posthumously thanks to Maurice Joyant (1864-1930), a close friend of Lautrec and his first biographer and executor, who deserves the credit of having contributed decisively to the diffusion and valorization of Lautrec’s work. Joyant, in fact, printed several works (lithographic and otherwise) by Lautrec, together with the famous art dealer, printer and publisher Adolphe Goupil. For these works, the gum bichromate technique was used, i.e. a printing technique that allows us to appreciate the outline of the line, incorporating color and obtaining an optical effect that simulates the traces of the original work. With the same technique, the prints of the 33 lithographs present in the fourth section were also made THE portraitsdepicting male and female characters from bourgeois society, artists and intellectuals and characters from nightlife.To help visitors get closer to the historical context in which Lautrec lived, the route also includes a suggestive room inspired by the dressing rooms of Belle Époque nightclubs, created by the specialized company Blurred, with a multimedia section, and with furnishings inspired by the painted environments in the work To the Salon of rue des Moulin. Furthermore, thanks to particular lighting, visitors will have the opportunity to take selfies to immortalise the experience of visiting the exhibition.

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) until 21 July.

Online presale: www.ticketone.it. Info: www.navigaresrl.com.