Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the Moulin Rouge, 1892-1895. Oil on canvas. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, 1928.610.

At the Moulin Rouge

At the Moulin Rouge

October 12, 2024 - March 9, 2025
Bell Family Decorative Arts Court
Free Exhibition

An aristocratic transplant to the bohemian haunts of Paris, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec captured the nightclubs and cabarets of Montmartre in the 1880s and ’90s, setting to canvas and paper their glittering lights and dazzling entertainments. Among his favorite spots were Le Chat Noir, Le Mirliton, and, above all others, the Moulin Rouge. One of his most remarkable paintings, At the Moulin Rouge, captures a night at the legendary nightclub with a band of regulars, including several of its most famous performers and Toulouse-Lautrec himself.

On loan from the Art Institute of Chicago, At the Moulin Rouge is at the center of this exhibition about Toulouse-Lautrec, his circle of fellow artists, and how they depicted the transformation of Parisian nightlife at the turn of the century. The exhibition features a dozen rarely seen works from Mia’s collection, including French posters and drawings from the era.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. At the Moulin Rouge, 1892-1895. Oil on canvas. Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, 1928.610.