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The One Hour Life of Toulouse-Lautrec at Madame X

Isa Freeling
2 min readJan 28, 2020

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Image by ISA

How much do you know about the great Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec, who was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator? Oh yes, you see the fabulous colorful, broad caricatures of the Moulin Rouge during the Belle Epoque. The dancing ladies with their french buns wound tightly atop their heads and animated men in black top hats with canes and capes. But what do you know about the observer?

We owe Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec above any painter a debt of gratitude for all that he showed us from a time we cannot imagine when people coveted the bawdy posters he created on the walls of Monmarte, Paris buildings.

Luckily though, you can learn about the brilliant man and his heartbreaks from Bated Breath Theatre Company at Madame X on Houston Street, where they developed a clever work with dance, music, and charming storytelling. Their original production of Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec has been extended over and over again at the red velvety upstairs space of the vampy establishment where you can enjoy a glass of champagne. At the same time, watch and take pictures of beautiful dancing people in sexy victorian boots and bustiers.

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Isa Freeling
Isa Freeling

Written by Isa Freeling

I am an art and culture writer/adviser. You can find my work on HuffPost, The New York Daily News, Artlyst, NY Lifestyle Magazine, Culture Sonar, and Medium.

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