Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

Etude de danseuse

Details

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)
Etude de danseuse
oil on canvas
21¾ x 181/8 in. (55 x 46 cm.)
Painted in 1888

Provenance

Albert Grenier, Paris.
Gustave Pellet, Paris.
Ermann.
Anon. sale, Paris, 20 November 1922, no. 77.
M. Lefevre, Paris (acquired at the above sale).
Mme Junod, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Literature

M. Joyant, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paris, 1926, vol. I, p. 265. H.G. Oeri, Oeuvres du XIX siècle, Basel, 1944, no. 54 (illustrated).
M.G. Dortu, Toulouse-Lautrec et son oeuvre, New York, 1971, vol. II, p. 144, no. P.309 (illustrated, p. 145).
G.M. Sugana, Tout l'oeuvre peint de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paris, 1986, no. 305 (illustrated).

Exhibited

Basel, Kunsthalle, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, May-June 1947, p. 22, no. 157.
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum and Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Toulouse-Lautrec, July-November 1947, no. 14 (illustrated, fig. 8). Martigny, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Toulouse-Lautrec, May-November 1987, p. 106, no. 41 (illustrated in color).

Sale room notice

19th Century French frame, carved and gilded, on loan from Eli Wilner & Company, Inc., NYC. This frame is available for purchase.

Lot Essay

According to a paper inscription on the back of the canvas written and signed by Albert Grenier, Etude de danseuse was painted in 1888 when Toulouse-Lautrec and Grenier were still sharing a studio. Working side by side they simultaneously painted the same model who posed as a ballerina in the present work. Albert Grenier was a fellow student of Lautrec's at both Bonnat's and Corman's studios.

This rapidly executed study displays a richly-hatched surface defining the contours of her body as well as casting a shadow on her skin. The compositional framing recalls that of Degas' characteristic close-ups of his subjects, often resulting in parts of the figure being cropped out of the picture plane.

More from Impressionist and Modern Art

View All