Toulouse-Lautrec and La Vie Parisienne

October 3, 2008 – January 11, 2009

Made Possible by
Wege Foundation

    Paris at the turn of the 20th century was a uniquely modern city. The French capital was a vibrant center for modern entertainment and fashion, with new forms of dance, theater, sport, and contemporary clothing embraced by the burgeoning middle-classes. This life was played out on a new stage, for large areas of Paris had been rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century. New gas lamps illuminated the widened boulevards and parks. Highly popular cabarets and theaters allowed for a new nightlife in which people from different levels of society mingled.

    Artists drew inspiration from all aspects of Parisian life, and portrayed a vivid cast of characters. Artists found etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts to be an ideal means to depict the scene around them. As original works of art created in multiples that could be sold much more cheaply than paintings, prints were particularly conducive to artistic experimentation and new subject matter. Artists were pleased to create prints that appeared as posters on public streets as well as smaller prints collected by connoisseurs. The commitment to urban life and to innovative new styles made the work of these artists one of the first important chapters in the history of modern art.

Drawn entirely from the permanent collection of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the exhibition includes works by Edgar Degas and Félix Vallotton, along with recently acquired works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, and Théophile Steinlen on view for the first time. The exhibition is made possible by Wege Foundation.

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
(French, 1859-1923)
Seventeen Cats on a Ledge, 1901
Chalk, graphite, and ink on paper
Museum Purchase, Stuart and Babs Hoffius, and Jon and Carol Muth, 2006.38