Le Café-concert: Yvette Guilbert

The influential artwork Le Café-concert: Yvette Guilbert by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, created in 1893, is a master example of the artist's lithographic work. A key figure in Post-Impressionist France, Toulouse-Lautrec frequently utilized the graphic arts, especially prints, to capture the vibrant, electric atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Paris. This particular piece captures Yvette Guilbert, the era’s most recognizable cabaret singer, captured during her performance on the stage of the Moulin Rouge or another similar venue.

Toulouse-Lautrec developed a highly distinctive visual shorthand, emphasizing gesture and caricature over academic realism to convey the frenetic energy of Parisian nightlife. Here, Guilbert is immediately identifiable by her exaggerated features and signature costume, including the long black gloves she famously wore. The artist’s quick, economical line work and dynamic composition emphasize the immediacy of the stage performance, reflecting the specific environment of the café-concert which he documented firsthand. The piece Le Café-concert: Yvette Guilbert remains a defining visual document of the music hall culture of the 1890s.

As a print, the work was often disseminated widely during the artist’s lifetime, solidifying his reputation as the premier chronicler of urban theatrical life. The enduring popularity and historical significance of this image have led to many editions being studied, with the underlying image now frequently found in the public domain. This exemplary lithograph, which demonstrates the mastery of Toulouse-Lautrec, is preserved in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, offering insight into a significant moment in French artistic and performance history.