At the Variétés: Mademoiselle Lender and Brasseur is a seminal color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) in 1893. This expressive print, executed on cream wove paper, captures two prominent figures of the Parisian entertainment scene, highlighting the vibrancy and immediacy of the theatre world. The medium of color lithography allowed Lautrec to achieve broad, flattened areas of color and stark, expressive outlines, mimicking the bold compositions of Japanese woodblock prints while simultaneously catering to the demands of contemporary poster design in France.
The work focuses on Mademoiselle Lender, a celebrated dancer and actress known for her appearances at the Variétés Theatre, shown alongside Brasseur, likely a fellow performer or director. Lautrec, a keen observer of the city’s nightlife, often depicted the private and public lives of performers. This piece adopts a candid, almost snapshot-like perspective, capturing an intimate moment that contrasts with the formality of traditional portraiture.
Lautrec’s sophisticated graphic works, created during the peak of the poster art movement in the 1890s, redefined the standards of commercial prints and fine art. The subject matter reflects the artist’s dedication to modern urban themes and his immersion in the demimonde of Montmartre. Through these vivid compositions, Lautrec cemented his reputation as the definitive artistic chronicler of fin-de-siècle Paris. The surviving edition of this important work is housed within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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