Théophile Alexandre Steinlen Claimed

The collection covers the entire body of work of the artist. It consists of more than 200 works divided into sections:

Drawings: there are more than 100 complete drawings. There are portraits of men and women, but also workers and some landscapes, the majority in large format. An interesting section of about 40 small-sized women and men’s portraits show his ability to give expression to their faces. There are also a few preliminary sketches for magazine covers, posters, etc.

Lithographs: there are both pre-war and wartime lithographs. About 60 works cover this section.

Posters: the collection includes more than 40 advertising posters including the Chat Noir, his most iconic image. But there is also a 91” by 116” inch poster “La Rue” the only other known copy of which is at the MOMA. This and several other posters in the collection are Before Letters. All his famous posters are included in the collection. Of note is a series of 3 drawings, a proposal for an advertising poster of the Galleries Lafayette, the largest department store of Paris.

Magazines & Newspapers: Steinlen was a very prolific contributor to many literary and humoristic magazines. The collection has a few hundred of them, particularly of Gil Blas.

Book Illustrations: there are many such books but the collection includes two special edition books which include a special section with about 240 original lithographs.

The Belle Époque evokes a period of gaiety and bon-vivre so well depicted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous actors, actresses and performers in the luxurious café-concerts and theaters. Almost all his works represent life behind the closed walls of these temples of pleasure.

But there is another side to the Belle Époque very few artists focused on. A side populated by all the middle class and working class individuals who were essential in building the boulevards where these music halls and theaters operated. Supply them with whatever materials they needed to entertain the crowds. Doing the cleaning and laundry necessary to keep the Belle Époque humming. Indeed, the majority of the Parisian population was busy and working hard contributing to this euphoria. How did these people’s lives look like? How were they making a living? How hard was it to be a working individual during this period?

This was T.A. Steinlen’s concern and artistic focus throughout his entire career. An artist who paid attention to people’s everyday lives and vicissitudes. He did not spend much time in the café-concerts and theaters. He preferred the less glamorous bars of Montmartre like the famous Chat Noir or the Mirliton where Aristide Bruant performed.

Surprisingly, during his lifetime, he was more famous than Lautrec. Anatole France, the famous writer and Academician, waited two years for Steinlen to complete the illustrations of his book before publishing it! He also declared “this is the most moving picture I have ever seen” referring to one advertising poster Steinlen designed for a milk company.

Steinlen followed the same path as all the Montmartre artists of the Belle Époque. He was considered the best poster designer of his time surpassing by far Lautrec’s reputation. Among his oeuvre we find book illustrations, lithographs, posters and, even surpassing Norman Rockwell’s Washington Post contribution, he appeared in more than 2000 magazine covers and articles. He also was very active in newspaper full page imagery with satirical political content.

Then the Belle Époque ended and World War I started and erased all that constituted the joie de vivre in Paris. We do have Steinlen to show us what WWI was like and how the working and middle class coped with going to war leaving behind families who soon would be widowed and orphaned. Steinlen depicted in very strong imagery the Great War’s devastation. He produced War Posters and numerous lithographs of soldiers and war scenes to help his audience understand the ravages of war.

Steinlen survived the war and lived a few more years after it ended but his work continues to remind us that the Belle Époque came thanks to the sacrifices of the working people.

EXHIBITION MATERIALS

High resolution images, captions, wall texts.

DISPLAY 

Approximately 275 linear meters (depending on the installation).

CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLECTION

• Geographic location of storage: U.S.A.
• All works are shipped framed as per international museum standards.
• Collection includes the necessary international shipping crates and packing materials ensuring safe ‘nail to nail” transport.
• Collection is comprehensive, covering a substantial part of the artist’s body of work making it capable of serving as a stand-alone exhibition.
• Museum curators are provided with extensive information and may curate the exhibition to their specifications.
• Collection may be expanded or complemented with art from the borrowing museum’s own collections.
• Collection provides endless opportunities for the development of educational programs, which we can assist with.