Jean-Louis Forain

(French, 1852–1931)

Jean-Louis Forain was a French Impressionist known for his paintings and etchings of Parisian nightlife, operas, and cafes. In his painting Tight-Rope Walker (c. 1885), Forain employed similar techniques to those used by his friend Edgar Degas, including flecks of bright color, a blurred background, and isolated moments of sharp detail. “He is the poet of corruption in evening clothes, of dandyism in the boudoirs, of high life masking empty hearts,” the critic Octave Maus once wrote of him. Born on October 23, 1852 in Reims, France, he moved with his family to Paris at the age of eleven and later studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme at the École des Beaux-Arts. Turned down by the Salon in 1874, Forain began frequenting the Café Guerbois, where he met Édouard Manet and Degas, whose work greatly influenced his own. Forain was also friends with a number of writers, such as Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, and Joris-Karl Huysmans. The artist began addressing more political subjects later in his life, and contributed illustrations to a number of major periodicals. He notably served as a camouflage artist and cartoonist during World War I, and was lauded for his patriotism during the conflict. The artist died on July 11, 1931 in Paris, France. Today, Forain’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, and the National Gallery in London, among others.

Jean-Louis Forain Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Jean-Louis Forain (1,645 results)
Le Mont Valérien, 1877

Jean-Louis Forain

Le Mont Valérien, 1877

Sale Date: December 2, 2008

Auction Closed

Qu'elle salade que madame !

Jean-Louis Forain

Qu'elle salade que madame !

Sale Date: December 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Guerre (suite of 40), 1914–1918

Jean-Louis Forain

Guerre (suite of 40), 1914–1918

Sale Date: December 11, 2008

Auction Closed

Caféhausszene

Jean-Louis Forain

Caféhausszene

Sale Date: November 27, 2008

Auction Closed

Conservation dans le salon de Georges..., 1879

Jean-Louis Forain

Conservation dans le salon de Georges..., 1879

Sale Date: November 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Le carnet de bal, 1888

Jean-Louis Forain

Le carnet de bal, 1888

Sale Date: December 1, 2008

Auction Closed

Au Théâtre, 1882

Jean-Louis Forain

Au Théâtre, 1882

Sale Date: December 1, 2008

Auction Closed

Le malaise (+ another; 2 works)

Jean-Louis Forain

Le malaise (+ another; 2 works)

Sale Date: November 21, 2008

Auction Closed

Peintre mondain (+ Esquisse, verso)

Jean-Louis Forain

Peintre mondain (+ Esquisse, verso)

Sale Date: November 21, 2008

Auction Closed

Le reniement de Saint Pierre

Jean-Louis Forain

Le reniement de Saint Pierre

Sale Date: November 18, 2008

Auction Closed

Le bouquet (+ 6 others, various sizes; 7 works)

Jean-Louis Forain

Le bouquet (+ 6 others, various sizes; 7 works)

Sale Date: November 21, 2008

Auction Closed

Les coulisses

Jean-Louis Forain

Les coulisses

Sale Date: November 17, 2008

Auction Closed

Esquisses de femme aux chevaux rogues

Jean-Louis Forain

Esquisses de femme aux chevaux rogues

Sale Date: November 11, 2008

Auction Closed

Le Diner

Jean-Louis Forain

Le Diner

Sale Date: November 19, 2008

Auction Closed

La Visite

Jean-Louis Forain

La Visite

Sale Date: November 19, 2008

Auction Closed

Lecture de journal

Jean-Louis Forain

Lecture de journal

Sale Date: November 19, 2008

Auction Closed

Personnages, fête galante

Jean-Louis Forain

Personnages, fête galante

Sale Date: October 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Femme assise

Jean-Louis Forain

Femme assise

Sale Date: October 1, 2008

Auction Closed

Femme assoupie

Jean-Louis Forain

Femme assoupie

Sale Date: September 24, 2008

Auction Closed

En Grece, 1914

Jean-Louis Forain

En Grece, 1914

Sale Date: September 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Le Noeud de Cravate (from Croquis Parisiens), 1880

Jean-Louis Forain

Le Noeud de Cravate (from Croquis Parisiens), 1880

Sale Date: September 12, 2008

Auction Closed

Le bouquet, 1876

Jean-Louis Forain

Le bouquet, 1876

Sale Date: September 12, 2008

Auction Closed

L'Administration

Jean-Louis Forain

L'Administration

Sale Date: July 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Sortie de cabaret

Jean-Louis Forain

Sortie de cabaret

Sale Date: June 9, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

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