From October 16 to February 14, visitors to Pisa’s Palazzo Blu can relive the Moulin Rouge’s glory days with ‘Toulouse Lautrec: Lights and Shadows of Montmartre’.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s vibrant, colourful artwork offers a slice of the nineteenth-century Belle Epoque Paris he knew so well—the golden years of the Moulin Rouge in Montmartre, from the dancers and the glittering lights to the brothels and gritty streets. Perhaps best known for his poster art, Toulouse-Lautrec was a painter, draughtsman and illustrator. Works on display will include not only many of his signature pieces, such as his provocative portraits of the French can-can dancer Jane Avril, but many others besides. This exhibition is the most complete collection of Toulouse-Lautrec works yet to have been displayed. The show includes a section on the ‘famous faces’ of Montmartre, contextualizing its cabaret culture. Other sections focus on his evocations of the city’s theatre and opera; his work in advertising, including ads for bicycles, novels, cameras and furnishings; his lithograph series Elles, which explores the daily lives of Parisian prostitutes; and his intimate portraits of his friends, animals and other subjects that caught his interest.
The show is open daily: from 10am to 7pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, visit the Palazzo Blu website.
