Bohemian Paris comes to Bath: Major Lautrec exhibition to open in April

Blockbuster exhibition Toulouse-Lautrec and the Masters of Montmartre will open at Victoria Art Gallery in Bath next spring, organisers have announced today (24 November), the 159th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

Artwork featuring Montmartre, cancan dancers, the ‘Chat Noir,’ and characters from the Moulin Rouge will transport visitors to turn of the 20th century Paris in this vibrant exhibition.

This is the only chance to see Lautrec’s complete collection of posters exhibited together in the UK before it moves to a permanent home at the Musée d’Ixelles in Belgium. Around 100 posters will bring the sights and sounds of 1890s bohemian Paris to Bath from 26 April – 29 September 2024.

With bright colours and bold lines Lautrec's striking artwork captured the essence of turn-of-the-century Parisian nightlife. More than 30 pieces from his esteemed career, including his first poster of the Moulin Rouge and the cancan dancers of La Troupe de Mademoiselle Eglantine, will be shown alongside works by other celebrated artists of the day. Steinlein’s iconic Tournée du Chat Noir, an advert for Ruinart champagne by Alphonse Mucha, and theatre posters by Jules Cheret will feature with eye-catching work by other masters of Belle Époque Paris.

The Post-Impressionist French painter, printmaker, caricaturist and illustrator Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901) moved in the ‘celebrity’ circles of 19th-century Bohemian Paris. Hugely influenced by the flamboyant, vibrant, eclectic, free-spirited, debauched lifestyle of the time, his work was known for its provocative nature, highlighting Paris’s colourful nightlife, stripping away the glamour to bring the Parisian underworld to life.

Beginning in Montmartre in the 1880s, the exhibition examines Toulouse-Lautrec’s work as a printmaker and shines a light on the celebrated stars of the stage, and the styles and fashions of the time. His work brings the famous and flamboyant characters of Montmartre to life, and features Paris’s most popular cafés, cabarets, and entertainers including stage stars Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril and Loïe Fuller.

Katharine Wall, Victoria Art Gallery Curator, explains: “Toulouse-Lautrec was at the cutting edge of art in the 1890s, he moved in fashionable circles and elevated the status of colour posters into artwork. His work continues to be as iconic and admired today."

“It’s a joy to bring this exhibition celebrating both Lautrec and his contemporaries back to Bath, after it was cut short by the pandemic back in 2020. We can’t wait to see the gallery come to life with the colour and characters of Montmartre once more. This time we’ll have even more artworks, fun activities to try out, and a programme of events to celebrate bohemian Paris.”

Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic & Cultural Sustainable Development, said: “The return of this major exhibition is a ringing endorsement of the Victoria Art Gallery as a cultural destination in the region. Lautrec’s artworks are instantly recognisable, evoking the heady atmosphere of bohemian Paris, and we’re proud to be able to bring these internationally acclaimed artworks to Bath.”

A series of talks and events will accompany the show, bringing to life the joie de vivre of the Belle Époque and Toulouse-Lautrec's Paris. Further details will be announced in the spring.

Toulouse-Lautrec and the Masters of Montmartre opens at Victoria Art Gallery, Bath on 26 April and runs until 29 September 2024.

Tickets for the exhibition are available to book online now at www.victoriagal.org.uk.