Divan Japonais

Divan Japonais is a celebrated color lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. This pivotal piece of graphic design solidified the artist’s reputation as the definitive visual chronicler of fin-de-siècle Parisian nightlife, capturing the atmosphere of the burgeoning café-concert culture in Montmartre.

The work functions as a promotional poster for the popular establishment known as the Divan Japonais. Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the lithographic process to achieve the strong, bold lines and flat planes of color necessary for commercial advertising, a style heavily informed by the contemporary fascination with Japanese woodblock prints (Japonisme). The color palette is dominated by intense yellows, blacks, and touches of red, creating high contrast that demands immediate attention.

The composition cleverly shifts focus from the performer to the audience. Seated prominently in the foreground is the famous dancer Jane Avril, identifiable by her distinctive red hair and characteristic elegance, accompanied by the critic Edouard Dujardin. On the stage behind them, only the torso and characteristic gestures of the celebrated singer Yvette Guilbert are visible, defined by her signature black gloves. This technique of cropping and selective observation encapsulates the artist's focus on the viewer’s experience within the smoky, intimate French entertainment venues of the period.

As a masterful example of poster art, this lithograph remains a critically important piece from 1893. Toulouse-Lautrec’s sophisticated understanding of mass media influenced generations of graphic artists. Like many of the era’s widely distributed prints, the artwork is frequently reproduced, sometimes entering the public domain due to its age and cultural significance. This major work is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.