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

Jean-Louis Forain (1,645 results)
THE INTERMISSION

Jean-Louis Forain

THE INTERMISSION

Sale Date: March 12, 1992

Auction Closed

DEVANT LE TRIBUNAL

After Jean-Louis Forain

DEVANT LE TRIBUNAL

Sale Date: March 11, 1992

Auction Closed

LE VOLEUR

Jean-Louis Forain

LE VOLEUR

Sale Date: February 7, 1992

Auction Closed

COURTOISIE

Jean-Louis Forain

COURTOISIE

Sale Date: January 19, 1992

Auction Closed

DEUX HOMMES EN CONVERSATION

Jean-Louis Forain

DEUX HOMMES EN CONVERSATION

Sale Date: January 19, 1992

Auction Closed

FEMME ASSISE, LA TETE DANS LA MAIN DROITE

Jean-Louis Forain

FEMME ASSISE, LA TETE DANS LA MAIN DROITE

Sale Date: December 14, 1991

Auction Closed

CHEZ LE PRETEUR

Jean-Louis Forain

CHEZ LE PRETEUR

Sale Date: December 7, 1991

Auction Closed

DEUXIEME SALON DU CYCLE, 1894

Jean-Louis Forain

DEUXIEME SALON DU CYCLE, 1894

Sale Date: December 5, 1991

Auction Closed

Autoportrait

Jean-Louis Forain

Autoportrait

Sale Date: December 4, 1991

Auction Closed

Promenade, la nuit

Jean-Louis Forain

Promenade, la nuit

Sale Date: December 4, 1991

Auction Closed

DANSEUSE (A WOOD FAN), 1890

Jean-Louis Forain

DANSEUSE (A WOOD FAN), 1890

Sale Date: December 4, 1991

Auction Closed

DANS LES COULISSES, 1878

Jean-Louis Forain

DANS LES COULISSES, 1878

Sale Date: December 3, 1991

Auction Closed

LA LECTURE

Jean-Louis Forain

LA LECTURE

Sale Date: December 3, 1991

Auction Closed

L'ECOLE ANGLAISE

Jean-Louis Forain

L'ECOLE ANGLAISE

Sale Date: November 29, 1991

Auction Closed

SOIS RAISONNABLE...

Jean-Louis Forain

SOIS RAISONNABLE...

Sale Date: November 29, 1991

Auction Closed

SCENE A L'HOPITAL

Jean-Louis Forain

SCENE A L'HOPITAL

Sale Date: November 27, 1991

Auction Closed

SCENE DE RUE

Jean-Louis Forain

SCENE DE RUE

Sale Date: November 20, 1991

Auction Closed

GUERRE 14-18

Jean-Louis Forain

GUERRE 14-18

Sale Date: November 19, 1991

Auction Closed

FEMME NUE

Jean-Louis Forain

FEMME NUE

Sale Date: November 5, 1991

Auction Closed

L'ARTISTE PEINTRE OBLIGE DE VENDRE SES TABLEAUX

Jean-Louis Forain

L'ARTISTE PEINTRE OBLIGE DE VENDRE SES TABLEAUX

Sale Date: October 25, 1991

Auction Closed

DANSEUSES DANS LES COULISSES

Jean-Louis Forain

DANSEUSES DANS LES COULISSES

Sale Date: October 21, 1991

Auction Closed

Danseuse

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuse

Sale Date: October 17, 1991

Auction Closed

A WOMAN CONSULTING WITH HER LAWYER

Jean-Louis Forain

A WOMAN CONSULTING WITH HER LAWYER

Sale Date: October 17, 1991

Auction Closed

MAN SEATED IN ARMCHAIR

Jean-Louis Forain

MAN SEATED IN ARMCHAIR

Sale Date: October 12, 1991

Auction Closed