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)
Villa des mouettes

Jean-Louis Forain

Villa des mouettes

Sale Date: July 21, 2020

Auction Closed

Portrait de femme

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de femme

Sale Date: July 15, 2020

Auction Closed

Danseuses dans les coulisses, 1905

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuses dans les coulisses, 1905

Sale Date: July 15, 2020

Auction Closed

Portrait de jeune femme

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de jeune femme

Sale Date: July 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Femme endormie

Jean-Louis Forain

Femme endormie

Sale Date: July 7, 2020

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Dans l'atelier, 1928, 1928

Jean-Louis Forain

Dans l'atelier, 1928, 1928

Sale Date: July 2, 2020

Auction Closed

Danseuses et abonnés, 1928, 1928

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuses et abonnés, 1928, 1928

Sale Date: July 2, 2020

Auction Closed

Portrait de femme

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de femme

Sale Date: July 2, 2020

Auction Closed

Les danseuses de l'Opéra

Jean-Louis Forain

Les danseuses de l'Opéra

Sale Date: June 30, 2020

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Les coulisses du ballet, 1905

Jean-Louis Forain

Les coulisses du ballet, 1905

Sale Date: June 30, 2020

Auction Closed

Danseuse et son prétendant, au foyer de , 1895–1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuse et son prétendant, au foyer de , 1895–1900

Sale Date: July 1, 2020

Auction Closed

La république mendiante

Jean-Louis Forain

La république mendiante

Sale Date: June 15, 2020

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Portrait de femme, 1908

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de femme, 1908

Sale Date: May 29, 2020

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Le prélude (bourgeois et gigolette)

Jean-Louis Forain

Le prélude (bourgeois et gigolette)

Sale Date: May 26, 2020

Auction Closed

Grieving Couple, 1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Grieving Couple, 1900

Sale Date: April 26, 2020

Auction Closed

Modèle drapé dans l'atelier, 1925

Jean-Louis Forain

Modèle drapé dans l'atelier, 1925

Sale Date: June 3, 2020

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Au bord de la mer, 1885

Jean-Louis Forain

Au bord de la mer, 1885

Sale Date: June 3, 2020

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Danseuse de dos, 1887

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuse de dos, 1887

Sale Date: June 16, 2020

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Les vieilles

Jean-Louis Forain

Les vieilles

Sale Date: May 19, 2020

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La gommeuse

Jean-Louis Forain

La gommeuse

Sale Date: May 15, 2020

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Lucien Guitry et le peintre

Jean-Louis Forain

Lucien Guitry et le peintre

Sale Date: December 3, 2019

Auction Closed

Émile Zola

Jean-Louis Forain

Émile Zola

Sale Date: February 1, 2020

Auction Closed

Grieving Couple, 1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Grieving Couple, 1900

Sale Date: February 5, 2020

Auction Closed

Danseuse et son prétendant, au foyer de , 1895–1900

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuse et son prétendant, au foyer de , 1895–1900

Sale Date: February 6, 2020

Auction Closed