Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
French painter, printmaker, draftsman, 1864–1901
SchoolArt Nouveau
BiographyHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born to an aristocratic family in Albi, Tarn, France. His parent separated when he was young and he went to live with his mother in Paris. Toulouse-Lautrec suffered from a number of congenital health conditions likely due to inbreeding (his parents were first cousins). As a young teenager he broke both of his legs and while his torso continued to grow, his legs did not grow further.In 1882 Toulouse-Lautrec moved back to Paris to study under the portrait painter Leon Bonnat and then eventually Fernand Cormon. Toulouse-Lautrec was introduced to the neighborhood of Montmartre where he would remain for the rest of his life.
Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his paintings of circus life and performers in Paris, including a series of posters he made for the Moulin Rouge. He additionally painted studies of prostitutes and the cafe and bar scenes of Montmartre. Toulouse-Lautrec died at the age of 36 from complications due to alcoholism and syphilis.
Person TypeIndividual
Terms
French printmaker, painter, author, 1867–1936
French painter and printmaker, 1830–1903
Swiss artist and illustrator, 1859–1923
Dutch painter and printmaker, 1819–1891, active in France
French caricaturist and painter, 1862–1934
American painter and sculptor, 1936–1992
American painter and illustrator, 1870–1966
French and British etcher, painter, and sculptor, 1837–1911
