Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec Monfa is a French illustrator, painter and print maker. Toulouse was born in Albi France however spent most of his life in Montmartre, Paris, an area famous for artists poets and bohemian life style. Toulouse suffered from a disability which started at the age of 13 after he fracture both thigh bones just a year apart. These breaks never healed properly and therefore caused a combination of disorders including: osteopetrosis, achondroplasia and osteogenesis imperfecta. This led to a stunt in his growth meaning he stood at a height of 1.54m with an adult torso, his disability meant he was unable to experience activities like other men his age therefore he immersed himself in his art.
He contributed a range of illustrations to magazine “Le Rire” during the mid 1980’s as well as being commission to create a rage of posters for famous Parisian night clubs such as Moulin Rouge. His posters often featured models including singer Yvette Gilbert and dancer Louise Weber creator of the “French Can-Can”. He often painted for leisure and was inspired by the people and places around him. For example, Toulouse spent most of his life an alcoholic in and out of brothels. He would o
ften stay for period of time and create intermate relationships and the prostitutes excepted him and his disability. He often captured the women around him showing their lives and relationships within the brothels. However, his favourite model was a red-haired prostitute called Rosa la Rouge who featured in a range of his pieces. Toulouse was placed in a Sanatorium shortly before passing away due to complications linked to alcoholism.
His work lived on after his 20-year career as his mother, the Comtesse Adele Toulouse- Lautrec and art dealer Maurice Joyant promoted his pieces as well as funding a museum to be built in his birth place of Albi to house his work.
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