Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avril: Beyond the Moulin Rouge
Nicola McCartney, Thursday, 23rd June 2011
This exhibition brings together paintings, posters and prints by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1963-1901) that celebrate his friendship and creative partnership with Moulin Rouge dancer Jane Avril (1868-1943). Together, Avril and Toulouse-Lautrec embody the excitement of bohemian Paris. This show captures that moment in the city’s history – Lautrec’s vigorous works almost transporting us back in time.
Jane Avril was born Jeanne Beaudon. She suffered an abusive childhood and, at 13, ran away from home. She was later admitted into the Salpetiere hospital in Paris for a nervous disorder. There, she attended a patient’s fancy-dress-ball where she discovered her passion for dance and debuted what would later become her signature eccentric movements. At 20, she was taken on by the Moulin Rouge as a professional dancer and adopted the stage name Jane Avril.
Jane Avril, the 1890s star of the Moulin Rouge, quickly captured the attention of Toulouse-Lautrec. She became his good friend and the focus of several of his works, until his death in 1901 when Avril disappeared into almost obscurity. The selected works on display at the Courtauld Gallery reveal their loyal friendship because Lautrec portrays Avril as both an entertainer and elegant woman, a grace not often afforded to ‘a common dancer’.
On display are preparatory sketches of Avril for Lautrec’s posters, revealing his fascination for her harsh features, red hair and lone figure. His sensitive and emotive brushstrokes portray Avril as rather solitary but as having far more depth than simply a pin-up dancer. Jane Avril in the entrance to the Moulin Rouge, c. 1892 (see above), is among the best examples of how Lautrec captures both the private and public worlds of Avril the celebrity. The carriage and coat stand in the background imply she might have company but Avril appears withdrawn and older than her age, she could be any other woman attending the theatre.
‘Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avril: beyond the Moulin Rouge’ is a rare opportunity to see prominent works of art that, when brought together from their respective international collections, continue to provoke new questions. Testimony to this is the new research inspired by the exhibition undertaken into the life of Jane Avril; her period in England, from where she corresponded with Toulouse-Lautrec, and between her dancing and contemporary theories of female hysteria.
Previous
ShareThis | LATEST NEWS & COMMMENT
Collectors’ focus
Wood carving flourished in Southern Germany in the late 15th century onwards, resulting in exquisitely crafted devotional sculptures. Today, these figures and reliefs may be found for as little as £5,000, though the best examples command high prices.
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
Post a comment