Provenance
Yves Plantin-Galerie du Luxembourg
His Sale: Art auction France, Paris, 23 novembre 2015, lot 364
Catalogue note
Yes, we are looking at Henri de Toulouse Lautrec in 1890s Paris, and although painted in 1952 and therefore much later than the time parameters for Gallery 19C, we could not resist adding this charming work to our inventory. It is by the French costume designer, Marcel Vertès, who won two Academy Awards – one for best art direction and the other for best costume design for John Houston’s 1952 film Moulin Rouge, which also was nominated for Best Picture of the Year. Our sketch shows Vertès’s preliminary idea for the costumes of Toulouse Lautrec and the prostitute, Marie Charlet. Moulin Rouge is also remembered for the beautiful song, Where is your Heart, celebrating April in Paris (sung by Muriel Smith and dubbed by Zsa Zsa Gabor, who starred as Jane Avril).