Le Divan Japonais

This lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is an advertisement for Le Divan Japonais, one the many café-concerts that sprung up in the Montmartre quarter of Paris during the second half of the 19th century. A master of poster art, Toulouse-Lautrec developed a modern visual language based on cut-off angles, unusual perspectives, and flat areas of solid color. With posters like this, he contributed to the rise of a veritable celebrity culture surrounding Montmartre’s working-class performers, many of whom were the artist’s close friends. Cutting a bold silhouette in the center is Jane Avril, a star dancer at the Moulin Rouge, presented here as a spectator in the audience. To her right is the art critic and dandy Édouard Dujardin; in the background, Yvette Guilbert sings onstage. Although her face is cropped, she is identifiable thanks to her trademark black gloves and elongated physique.