FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE MOULIN ROUGE AND THE BELLE ÉPOQUE COME TO NORFOLK
IN THE PARIS OF TOULOUSE-LAUTREC AT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART
— Brightest stars of Parisian nightlife shine in the famed artist’s
prints and posters from The Museum of Modern Art—
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901), La Troupe de Mademoiselle Églantine (Mademoiselle Églantine’s Troupe), 1896.
Lithograph, sheet: 24 1/4 x 31 1/4 in. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, 1940.
© The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photograph by Thomas Griesel
NORFOLK, VA. (February 22, 2017) — Meet the legends of 19th-century Parisian nightlife in The Chrysler Museum
of Art’s spring keynote exhibition, The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters from The Museum of
Modern Art. The exhibition is on view from March 10 to June 18, 2017. Admission is free.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is synonymous with the Belle Époque, or Beautiful Era, in Paris. He created iconic
works of the hedonistic nightlife that still define the ideal of bohemian urban life today. His brief 10-year career,
from 1891 until his death in 1901, was a manic celebration of the freedom Paris offered and his work gave
enduring renown to many of its star performers. The electric color, bold shapes and restless energy of his designs
beckoned workers, aristocrats and foreign tourists into the new café-concerts, cabarets and other haunts of
Montmartre.
The exhibition is organized thematically around the main facets of Toulouse-Lautrec’s life in Paris: the new caféconcert culture, entertainment on stage and the daily life of the women performers onstage and off. He was
commissioned to produce promotional posters of groundbreaking performers like dancers Jane Avril and La
Goulue (stage name of Louise Weber), along with audacious impresarios like Aristide Bruant. In addition, he
depicted everyday denizens of the city, including the private lives of prostitutes captured in his lithographic
portfolio, Elles (1896). The portfolio of 12 prints shows the women not at work, but in scenes of daily life —
sipping coffee in the morning or washing before a mirror.
Toulouse-Lautrec mastered the relatively new art of lithography, an
intricate printmaking process based on the principle that grease and
water are repellent. Like many Parisian artists, his printmaking style was
heavily influenced by Japanese woodcut prints being exported to Europe
for the first time.
The Japanese influence on Toulouse-Lautrec will be explored in Inspiring
Impressionism, a complementary exhibition of Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcut
prints from the Chrysler Museum collection. Named Ukiyo-e or “floating
world pictures” after the pleasure district of Tokyo, they first showed
celebrity actors and courtesans, and later branched into landscapes and
historical subjects. The prints became wildly popular in Paris after
Commodore Matthew Perry’s 1853 voyage to open Japan to foreign trade
— a mission that began in Hampton Roads, forever changing the worlds
of commerce and art. Japanese artist Hibata Ōsuke documented this visit,
and the Chrysler owns a rare copy of his images of Perry and his squadron,
showing probably the first foreigners seen in Edo in more than 200 years.
The Museum will also exhibit famed prints from Utagawa Hiroshige’s
remarkable series, 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō Road.
Toulouse-Lautrec was just 36 when he succumbed to a stroke in 1901,
leaving behind 368 prints and posters pushing the boundaries of design.
Explore his genius in The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec, at the Chrysler
Museum from March 10–June 18, 2017.
Utagawa Kunisada I (Japanese, 1786–1864)
The Sumida River in Musashi Province,
from Beautiful Women Compared with
Scenic Spots of Our Country, early 1830s
Woodblock print on paper
Gift of Dr. James C. Perry
The Paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters from The Museum of Modern Art was organized by Sarah
Suzuki, Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
EXHIBITION PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Admission is free unless otherwise indicated. See Chrysler.org for newly added events.
Members’ Exhibition Preview Party
Thursday, March 9 | 6–9 p.m.
Ooh la la! Celebrate the nightlife of 19th-century Paris as the Chrysler opens its spring keynote exhibition. This
evening of French cabaret features cancan dancers, live musical performances, and more in the spirit of the Belle
Époque. Tour the great Post Impressionist’s posters and prints from The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and
enjoy refreshments and a cash bar inspired by the concerts and cafes of the artist’s beloved Montmartre.
Admission is free for Chrysler Museum Members, $15 for all others. R.S.V.P. at reservations.chrysler.org.
Free Family Day: Springtime in Paris
Saturday, March 11 | 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of the City of Light with story times, performances, hands-on artmaking, and
more French-inspired fun! Family Day is generously sponsored by the Bunny and Perry Morgan Fund.
Tours Toulouse │ Meet at the Welcome Desk.
Moulin Rouge and the Cancan with Toulouse-Lautrec
by Chief Curator Lloyd DeWitt
Thursday, April 13 │ 2 p.m.
Exhibition Gallery Talks
Sunday, March 12 │ 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 6 │ 2 p.m. │ en français
Saturday, June 17 │ 2 p.m.
Blockprinting Demos
Saturday, June 17 │ 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Learn the process of making a woodblock print with Anne May of
Norfolk’s d’Art Center.
CMA on Screen
Midnight in Paris
Saturday, April 29 │ 1 p.m.
Travel back in time to meet artists of an earlier age in Woody
Allen’s Academy Award-winning romantic comedy (2011, PG-13).
Moulin Rouge
Saturday, May 20 │1 p.m.
Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (José Ferrer) meets dancer Jane
Avril (Zsa Zsa Gabor) at the famed cabaret in John Huston’s Oscarwinning film (1952, PG equivalent).
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)
Divan Japonais, 1893
Lithograph, sheet: 31 15/16 x 24 1/2 in.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Fund, 1949
© The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Photograph by Thomas Griesel
At The Museum Shop
Take home the exhibition’s beautifully illustrated catalogue ($50) or pick up some great souvenirs of the show.
Museum Members always save 10%.
ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART
The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s most distinguished mid-sized art museums, with a nationally
recognized collection of more than 30,000 objects, including one of the great glass collections in America. The
core of the Chrysler’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid art collector who donated thousands
of objects from his private collection to the Museum. In the years since Chrysler’s death in 1988, the Museum
has dramatically enhanced its collection and extended its ties with the Norfolk community. The Museum,
expanded in 2014 to add additional gallery spaces and amenities for visitors, now has growing collections in
many areas. The Chrysler also mounts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions and educational programs and events
throughout the year.
The Chrysler Museum of Art, One Memorial Place, Norfolk, and its Perry Glass Studio at 745 Duke St., are open to
the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
The Historic Houses on East Freemason Street are open weekends. General admission is free at all venues. For
more information on the Chrysler Museum of Art, visit chrysler.org.
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For more information, interview assistance, or a high-resolution image suitable for publication, please contact
Amber Kennedy at The Meridian Group at (757) 340-7425 or [email protected].