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

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Jean-Louis Forain (1,645 results)
La conversation

Jean-Louis Forain

La conversation

Sale Date: June 30, 2006

Auction Closed

Trois baigneuses en sous-bois

Jean-Louis Forain

Trois baigneuses en sous-bois

Sale Date: May 16, 2006

Auction Closed

Cavalier (dbl-sided)

Jean-Louis Forain

Cavalier (dbl-sided)

Sale Date: June 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Sortie de l'audience, 1909

Jean-Louis Forain

Sortie de l'audience, 1909

Sale Date: June 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Le départ, mère pleurant et enfant sur un...

Jean-Louis Forain

Le départ, mère pleurant et enfant sur un...

Sale Date: June 9, 2006

Auction Closed

L'exposition, 1890

Jean-Louis Forain

L'exposition, 1890

Sale Date: June 27, 2006

Auction Closed

Au café

Jean-Louis Forain

Au café

Sale Date: June 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Femme nue s'essuyant les pieds, 1910

Jean-Louis Forain

Femme nue s'essuyant les pieds, 1910

Sale Date: June 8, 2006

Auction Closed

La sortie de l'audience, 1905–1910

Jean-Louis Forain

La sortie de l'audience, 1905–1910

Sale Date: June 8, 2006

Auction Closed

Portrait of a man

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait of a man

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

Portrait of a lady

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait of a lady

Sale Date: June 21, 2006

Auction Closed

A young girl reading

Jean-Louis Forain

A young girl reading

Sale Date: June 1, 2006

Auction Closed

Girl in the Maison Close

Jean-Louis Forain

Girl in the Maison Close

Sale Date: May 23, 2006

Auction Closed

Danseuse et son admirateur, 1890–1895

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuse et son admirateur, 1890–1895

Sale Date: May 24, 2006

Auction Closed

Le Rendez-vous galant, 1910

Jean-Louis Forain

Le Rendez-vous galant, 1910

Sale Date: May 6, 2006

Auction Closed

En vl'a des histoires!..C'est bien la derniere...

Jean-Louis Forain

En vl'a des histoires!..C'est bien la derniere...

Sale Date: May 16, 2006

Auction Closed

Un coin des coulisses de l'opera, 1883

Jean-Louis Forain

Un coin des coulisses de l'opera, 1883

Sale Date: May 3, 2006

Auction Closed

Conversation au bal masqué

Jean-Louis Forain

Conversation au bal masqué

Sale Date: March 22, 2006

Auction Closed

Studies of women and a vignette of a man riding...

Jean-Louis Forain

Studies of women and a vignette of a man riding...

Sale Date: April 4, 2006

Auction Closed

Portrait de femme couchée dans son lit

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de femme couchée dans son lit

Sale Date: April 5, 2006

Auction Closed

Peintre et modèle (+ 2 others; 3 works)

Jean-Louis Forain

Peintre et modèle (+ 2 others; 3 works)

Sale Date: April 5, 2006

Auction Closed

Zwei Männer im Regen, 1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Zwei Männer im Regen, 1900

Sale Date: March 31, 2006

Auction Closed

Paar mit Diener (+ sketch of woman, verso), 1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Paar mit Diener (+ sketch of woman, verso), 1900

Sale Date: March 31, 2006

Auction Closed

A buller

Jean-Louis Forain

A buller

Sale Date: March 3, 2006

Auction Closed

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