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Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was born in 1864 to an aristocratic family, descendants of the Counts of Toulouse. His parents were first-cousins and the family had practiced generations of inbreeding—as a result, Henri suffered all his short life from congenital health conditions. Unable to participate in most of the activities enjoyed by normal men, Henri moved to Paris and immersed himself in his art (painting, magazine illustration, and lithography). In Montmartre, the center of Parisian Bohemian life, he frequented the cabarets and brothels and depicted the lives of the women at work and leisure. His paintings of dance-hall performers and prostitutes are personal and humanistic, revealing the sadness and humor hidden beneath face powder and gaslights. Though he died tragically young (at age 36) due to complications from alcoholism and syphilis, his influence lasts to the present day. Join us for an evening with this remarkable man who created art that is inseparable from his legendary life.
William H. Fredlund, the Director of the Institute, obtained his B.A. and M.A. from UCLA, where he specialized in European history and art history. He studied in Italy on a Fulbright Fellowship and completed a double Ph.D. in history and humanities at Stanford, specializing in Renaissance Italy. Dr. Fredlund has taught for UCLA, the University of Florence, Stanford, and UCSC Extension.
