At the Concert

At the Concert is a key color zincograph on cream wove paper created by the celebrated French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) in 1896. This work, classified as a print, showcases the artist’s exceptional mastery of graphic arts during the fin de siècle period, when zincography and lithography became crucial tools for modern artistic expression. The zincograph process, which utilizes a thin zinc plate instead of a heavy stone, allowed Toulouse-Lautrec to produce nuanced color variations and retain the immediacy of his signature rapid drawing style.

Throughout the 1890s, Toulouse-Lautrec turned his sharp focus toward the vibrant but often shadowed world of Parisian nightlife, specifically documenting the singers, dancers, and patrons of café-concerts and music halls. The composition of At the Concert captures the intimate and sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere of these popular public entertainment venues in France. Toulouse-Lautrec excels at conveying the sense of observation, rendering figures with minimal, yet expressive, detail that emphasizes their characteristic poses or gestures.

The artist’s dedication to this medium elevated the status of the print from a commercial object to a serious art form. Works such as this solidified Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation as a groundbreaking Post-Impressionist who bridged the gap between fine art and commercial design. The widespread popularity and quality of these prints have ensured their lasting legacy, making many impressions, including this one, significant holdings within museum collections. This historic impression resides in the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as an essential example of late 19th-century French graphic production, much of which is now considered part of the public domain.