Henri Rousseau

(French, 1844–1910)

Henri Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist famed for his lushly painted jungle scenes. In his seminal work The Dream (1910), the artist merged elements of fantasy with a sensitive attention to form, composition, and color. Rousseau used a subtle palette of sage greens, earthen reds, and rich blacks, to produce interlocking forms that appear to emanate light from within. “A wandering Negress, a mandolin player, lies with her jar beside her, overcome by fatigue in a deep sleep. A lion chances to pass by, picks up her scent yet does not devour her,” Rousseau once described of his work The Sleeping Gypsy (1897). Born on May 21, 1844 in Laval, France, Rousseau led the majority of his life outside of the art world. Working as a toll collector on the outskirts of Paris, he taught himself to paint at home from observation and memory. One of his first exhibited works, Tiger in a Tropical Storm (1891), was shocking to audiences and critics alike at the Salon des Indépendants. The work abolished the rules of perspective and illusionistic space, while still working within the lexicon of representational imagery. Rousseau’s direct application of paint and mysterious subject matter, had a profound impact on the avant-garde artists of his day, including Wassily Kandinksy, Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, and Max Beckmann. He died on September 2, 1910 in Paris, France. Today, Rousseau’s works are held in the collections of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the National Gallery in London, among others.

Henri Rousseau News

On View

A Berlin Show Celebrating Dealer Rudolf Zwirner Brings Together 80 Works by Artists He Championed, From Bourgeois to Warhol

by Jo Lawson-Tancred
A Berlin Show Celebrating Dealer Rudolf Zwirner Brings Together 80 Works by Artists He Championed, From Bourgeois to Warhol
Artnet News Pro

From a Rare Klimt Still Life to a Paradoxical Magritte, Here's Our Insider's Guide to the Key Lots of New York's $1.3 Billion Spring Auctions

by Eileen Kinsella
From a Rare Klimt Still Life to a Paradoxical Magritte, Here's Our Insider's Guide to the Key Lots of New York's $1.3 Billion Spring Auctions
Art World

The Letters of Picasso’s Dealer and a Century’s Worth of Impressionist Archives Are Going Online

by Brian Boucher
The Letters of Picasso’s Dealer and a Century’s Worth of Impressionist Archives Are Going Online

Henri Rousseau Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Henri Rousseau (238 results)
MAISON AU BORD DE LA RIVIERE

Attributed to Henri Rousseau

MAISON AU BORD DE LA RIVIERE

Sale Date: December 6, 1992

Auction Closed

DER AFFE ALS MALER, 1903–1910

Henri Rousseau

DER AFFE ALS MALER, 1903–1910

Sale Date: November 14, 1992

Auction Closed

ORANGES

In the manner of Henri Rousseau

ORANGES

Sale Date: October 10, 1992

Auction Closed

LA GUERRE, 1894

Henri Rousseau

LA GUERRE, 1894

Sale Date: June 13, 1992

Auction Closed

LA GUERRE, 1894

Henri Rousseau

LA GUERRE, 1894

Sale Date: May 15, 1992

Auction Closed

BLOMSTERSTILLEBEN

Henri Rousseau

BLOMSTERSTILLEBEN

Sale Date: May 14, 1992

Auction Closed

L'ILE SAINT-LOUIS ET NOTRE DAME DE PARIS, 1885

Henri Rousseau

L'ILE SAINT-LOUIS ET NOTRE DAME DE PARIS, 1885

Sale Date: December 4, 1991

Auction Closed

A FAGGOT GATHERER ON A WOODLAND TRACK

Follower of Henri Rousseau

A FAGGOT GATHERER ON A WOODLAND TRACK

Sale Date: October 3, 1991

Auction Closed

VUE DE PARC DE MONTSOURIS

Henri Rousseau

VUE DE PARC DE MONTSOURIS

Sale Date: June 25, 1991

Auction Closed

Henri Rousseau

"LE PONT DE GRENELLE"

Sale Date: January 31, 1991

Auction Closed

Henri Rousseau

"TIGRE ATTAQUANT UN BUFFLE"

Sale Date: January 31, 1991

Auction Closed

Henri Rousseau

"LA CARRIOLE DU PERE JUNIER"

Sale Date: January 31, 1991

Auction Closed

PAYSAGE AVEC UN LAC ET DES MONTAGNES, 1890–1890

Henri Rousseau

PAYSAGE AVEC UN LAC ET DES MONTAGNES, 1890–1890

Sale Date: November 25, 1990

Auction Closed

L'ALLEE DES CHATAIGNIERS

Henri Rousseau

L'ALLEE DES CHATAIGNIERS

Sale Date: June 23, 1990

Auction Closed

LA PETITE CARMAGNOLE, 1893–1893

Henri Rousseau

LA PETITE CARMAGNOLE, 1893–1893

Sale Date: June 12, 1990

Auction Closed

VUE DE LA BIEVRE-SUR-GENTILLY

Henri Rousseau

VUE DE LA BIEVRE-SUR-GENTILLY

Sale Date: April 3, 1990

Auction Closed

LE GUERIDON FLEURI

Henri Rousseau

LE GUERIDON FLEURI

Sale Date: April 1, 1990

Auction Closed

Still life with tropical fruits, 1908–1908

Attributed to Henri Rousseau

Still life with tropical fruits, 1908–1908

Sale Date: May 11, 1988

Auction Closed

La guerre, 1894–1894

Henri Rousseau

La guerre, 1894–1894

Sale Date: November 14, 1987

Auction Closed

Le pont

Henri Rousseau

Le pont

Sale Date: April 1, 1987

Auction Closed

Paysage de St. Cloud, 1896–1896

Henri Rousseau

Paysage de St. Cloud, 1896–1896

Sale Date: November 20, 1986

Auction Closed

La promenade aux buttes-chaumont, 1908–1908

Henri Rousseau

La promenade aux buttes-chaumont, 1908–1908

Sale Date: March 27, 1985

Auction Closed

English (US)

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