Artwork
A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette
A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It dates from 1892 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper right: HTLautrec (HTL in ligature)
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Classified as a genre scene, the work captures the atmosphere of the establishment rather than focusing on a single narrative event or symbolic allegory.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 1892 oil painting depicts a specific interior scene at the Moulin de la Galette, a popular cabaret in Montmartre. Classified as a genre scene, the work captures the atmosphere of the establishment rather than focusing on a single narrative event or symbolic allegory. The composition presents a candid view of the venue's interior, reflecting the artist's interest in documenting the social life and leisure activities of Parisian nightlife.
The title, A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette, indicates that the subject is a fragmentary glimpse of the location, emphasizing the artist's observational approach to modern life in late 19th-century France.
Technique & Style
A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette is executed in oil on cardboard, a support Toulouse-Lautrec frequently favored for its absorbent, matte quality that encouraged rapid, sketch-like handling rather than the polished finish associated with stretched canvas.
The painted surface measures 100 by 89.2 centimeters, a nearly square format suited to the cropped, off-center view of the cabaret interior. The choice of cardboard as a support is consistent with the informal, observational character of the scene, allowing the artist to work quickly and directly while preserving the immediacy of the café environment.
The medium and support together produce a flat, graphic appearance, with paint applied in thin layers that emphasize linear contour and tonal contrast over heavy impasto.
History & Provenance
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette in 1892 in oil on cardboard. The work was first owned by François Depeaux of Rouen, who sold it at Galerie Georges Petit on 31 May–1 June 1906 as Intérieur de cabaret. It was acquired at that sale, probably by Durand-Ruel acting anonymously for the Berlin collector Otto Gerstenberg.
It passed by inheritance to Gerstenberg's daughter, Margarethe Scharf, who lent it to an exhibition at the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen in 1936. After World War II, she arranged its sale through Carstairs Gallery in New York, which sold it on 20 March 1950 to Chester Dale. Dale bequeathed the painting to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1963, where it remains today.
Overview
Henri de Toulouse‑Lautrec’s 1892 oil on cardboard, A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette, portrays a bustling interior of the famous Parisian dance hall. The composition concentrates on a slice of the venue, filled with figures in motion, conveying the immediacy of a night out in Montmartre.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (French: ), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator.
