Albi’s Toulouse-Lautrec and a taste of the Belle Époque

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is famed for his gritty, salacious depictions of Montmartre life: from famous cabaret dancers swirling their skirts and titillating the clientele with flashes of what lay beneath the many layers of undergarments, to the women who worked the brothels of Montmartre. His paintings and sketches have come to define the fabled era of the Moulin Rouge and Paris during the Belle Époque.

If his work has become synonymous with the desperation, depravity, decadence and less than salubrious world of the Moulin Rouge, his early life was much more provincial and privileged. Henri was born into an aristocratic family in Albi. It may well have been the fact that his parents were also cousins – there was a history of inbreeding in the family – that resulted in the physical ailments he suffered throughout his life.

It’s frequently said that his empathy with the sex workers of Montmartre came from the alienation he suffered due to his physical appearance. Although from a wealthy and connected family, he was ostracised due to his height of less than five feet, and the disability he had with his legs. He found meaning and inspiration in the arms of those same sex workers and in alcohol. He also contracted syphilis and became an alcoholic.

He was friends with Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas and Émile Bernard. He’s also credited with inventing several cocktails. Maybe that juxtaposition is simply too much to take in when viewing his work in the former palace of the Bishops of Albi. He just seems so thoroughly out of place in these strait-laced surroundings. It may also be that one of the greatest collections of his work isn’t presented very well.

Having said that, it is one of the great collections of an enduringly popular artist who can lay claim to the title of ‘documenter of Montmartre’, and whose work has been hugely influential. So a visit to the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, housed in the Palais de la Berbie, is a must if you’re anywhere near Albi. It’s equally wonderful to see his original paintings, early posters and photographs, as it is frustrating that many are badly hung.

His most important subjects are ever present in the works held by the museum, including the most famous stars of the Montmartre cabaret stage: Can-Can dancer, Louise Weber, better known as La Goulue (The Glutton) and the ‘Queen of Montmartre’; singer Yvette Guilbert; as well as dancers like Jane Avril. A pioneer of posters as art, there are original posters, and photos of Parisien walls plastered with them.

The lives of those he painted and helped make famous were often tragic. La Goulue, the subject of perhaps his most well-known Moulin Rouge poster, became wealthy as a dancer. Bad investments saw her lose her wealth, suffer depression and take to drink. She ended up selling matches on the street corner in Montmartre. So to was Toulouse-Lautrec’s own life. He died aged 36, broken, syphilitic and alcoholic.

It was his countess mother that funded the establishment of the museum housed in the Palais de la Berbie. She also donated a large collection of his works, today numbering over a 1,000 pieces of his art – a sizeable chunk of his output over his short life. They are full of originality and humanity. The choice of the palace for the collection seems strange at first, but what better way to thumb your nose at a society that rejected you in life?

In truth, the collection is the crowning glory of the Episcopal City of Albi that combines the palace, gardens and cathedral with three well preserved medieval districts, into one UNESCO World Heritage Site. In most places these glories would be mobbed by tourists, but Albi is no Carcassonne. A visit to the museum and surrounding area is a relaxed experience and one worth the effort to have.