Toulouse–Lautrec and the Stars of Paris

An album of the stars of Paris nightlife, as seen by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec – who captured their performances in great works of art and helped make them famous

This tour of the Parisian scene focuses on six performers who were depicted in and in some senses defined by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s renderings – Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Aristide Bruant, Marcelle Lender, May Belfort and Loïe Fuller – and explores how the performers and the artist collaborated in exploiting new mass media to create a new stardom.

Lavishly illustrated with reproductions of iconic images along with rarely seen sketches, and illuminated by insightful essays, this volume shines a spotlight on the stars of the Paris stage, the birth of celebrity culture and the brilliance of the artist who gave them enduring life.

Table of Contents

Director’s Foreword – Matthew Teitelbaum • Foreword – Mary Weaver Chapin •
Introduction – Helen Burnham • Yvette Guilbert • Jane Avril • Aristide Bruant • Marcelle
Lender • May Belfort • Loïe Fuller

About the Authors

Helen Burnham is Pamela and Peter Voss Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Mary Weaver Chapin is Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Portland Art Museum, Oregon.

Joanna Wendel is Morse Curatorial Research Fellow in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.