At the age of 49, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) left his hometown of Laval to move to Paris. He had decided to retire from his job as a customs officer to devote himself entirely to painting. The artist used a range of genres and techniques to make a name for himself on the Parisian art scene: compositions sent to the Salon des Indépendants, government commissions to decorate town halls in the Île-de- France region, portraits commissioned by his friends and family, landscapes intended for sale, and more intimate self-portraits.
Together with the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, the Musée de l’Orangerie has organised the first exhibition which brings together a significant body of works by Henri Rousseau, many of which passed through the hands of Paul Guillaume, whose collection is the centrepiece at the Orangerie.
AFMO invites you to discover Henri Rousseau’s career, his approach to painting, and his professional ambitions through his connections to the art market, through a exclusive visit during the museum’s closing day.
Event reserved for AFMO Sponsor-level members and above. To register, please email membership@aforsay.org
All invitations are personal and non-transferable.
Image: Henri Rousseau, La Charmeuse de serpents, 1907, © Musée d’Orsay, dist. GrandPalaisRmn / Patrice Schmidt