Exhibition of Lautrec
The exhibition of Toulouse-Lautrec is currently being held at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art.
I visited the museum at the end of January, but a month has passed without my writing an article about it.
An impressive signboard facing the road.
This art exhibition is a traveling exhibition, which had been held at the SOMPO Museum of Art from June 2024 and at the Sapporo Art Park Museum from October 2024.
It is said to be exhibiting Lautrec works owned by Mr. and Mrs. Philos in the U.S. It is said to be one of the largest private collections of Lautrec’s works on paper in the world.
Photography of all works in the exhibition is permitted for non-commercial and private use only.
The poster used in the main visual, “Aristide Bruant, dans son cabaret (avant la lettre )” (1893).
I noticed on this poster that the main visual for the advertisement has a different background color. The color of the scarlet scarf is also used as the background color.
That made the impression more intense than the actual piece.
The famous “Divan Japonais” (1893) was also used as the main visual for the exhibition.
The image is used on the side of the sign at the museum entrance. The background is still scarlet.
However, when compared to the actual poster, I wonders if it is acceptable to use scarlet as the background color for everything.
I am not trying to say that the color should not be changed, and I think it is a successful advertisement. Well, I am not criticizing, but simply thinking that the impression of the work has changed.
What impressed me personally was this. (clipping a part of the work)
It is a lithograph titled “Anna Held, dans 'Toutes ces Dames au Théâtre’ ” (1894), and I was impressed by her face.
I had only known a few famous works by Lautrec, so this exhibition was interesting.
When I saw the exhibition, “Parco Poster Exhibition 1969-2024” was also being held at the same time. (This exhibition ended on February 9.)
I knew the atmosphere of the 1980s, when art directors and copywriters were in high spirits, and I felt like I was being shown something embarrassing from my past rather than seeing the works.
There is a difference between photographs and paintings, and Lautrec’s posters were made in a completely different era and society, but this exhibition made me wonder what kind of posters will remain in poster form for future generations.
The Lautrec exhibition is on view at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art until April 6.