The Herakleidon Museum is participating, with 137 works by Toulouse-Lautrec from its collection, in the exhibition organized in honour of the great artist by the Teloglio Art Foundation, from October 15, 2010 to January 30, 2011.
Authentic posters, prints and drawings, which are from the collection of the Herakleidon Museum, are displayed next to important exhibits from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Toulouse Lautrec Museum in Albi and the Château du Bosc (works and family heirlooms) in Naucelle. Many works of art from private collections in France and Switzerland, as well as rich archival material from the Spiteri Archives complete the exhibition at the Teloglio. The exhibition is of great artistic and educational importance and is supported by collaborations with the National Theater of Northern Greece, the Department of Theater and Music Studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Museum of Cinematography, the French Educational Institute, the Friends of the Thessaloniki National Orchestra et al.
Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his works depicting scenes from cabarets, theaters, dance halls, and brothels. These were themes that the artist lived, beginning in 1885 when he moved to Montmartre and immersed himself in its nightlife. He wanted to show life as it is, not as it should be, but this objectivity was not without empathy or humor. His interest lay in portraying people, not only those he met during his nights on the town, but also his friends and the working-class citizens of Paris. He was a hard-working artist, producing an enormous body of work in a wide range of media.
