Caricature of Félix Fénéon

The influential drawing Caricature of Félix Fénéon by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, executed around c. 1895–96, captures the distinctive profile of the renowned French art critic and Symbolist writer. This satirical portrait, rendered in expressive ink on paper, exemplifies Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery of line and his exceptional ability to capture the characteristic personality of contemporary Parisian society figures.

Known for his observational skill and often biting wit, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the rapid, energetic strokes of the ink medium to define Fénéon’s immediately recognizable features: the precise, pointed beard and the signature high, stiffly starched collar. Fénéon was a pivotal figure in the fin-de-siècle French artistic milieu, instrumental in championing Neo-Impressionism and Symbolism, and was often the subject of playful caricature by artists of the period due to his rigid demeanor and political activism.

This drawing reflects Toulouse-Lautrec’s extensive body of graphic work, which included numerous preliminary sketches and finished pieces designed for reproduction as lithographic prints. The immediacy and economy of the ink drawing lends the portrait an intimate, journalistic quality, distinguishing it from the artist's more elaborately rendered paintings. The classification of the work as a drawing emphasizes its foundational role in Toulouse-Lautrec's artistic process.

The original artwork resides today in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), serving as a significant example of the artist’s approach to portraiture during the Belle Époque. While the original is preserved within the museum's archives, high-resolution images and related prints are sometimes available through digital art platforms and public domain archives, allowing broader access to this definitive French work from the mid-1890s.