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)
Portrait de femme

Jean-Louis Forain

Portrait de femme

Sale Date: December 11, 2019

Auction Closed

Les coulisses du ballet, 1905

Jean-Louis Forain

Les coulisses du ballet, 1905

Sale Date: December 16, 2019

Auction Closed

The dancers

Jean-Louis Forain

The dancers

Sale Date: December 6, 2019

Auction Closed

La Cantatrice

Jean-Louis Forain

La Cantatrice

Sale Date: November 8, 2019

Auction Closed

L'Effet de Brume en Gare, 1884

Jean-Louis Forain

L'Effet de Brume en Gare, 1884

Sale Date: November 6, 2019

Auction Closed

La Lettre.

Jean-Louis Forain

La Lettre.

Sale Date: November 5, 2019

Auction Closed

A Parisan Beggar Woman., 1880

Jean-Louis Forain

A Parisan Beggar Woman., 1880

Sale Date: November 5, 2019

Auction Closed

Deuxième Salon du Cycle. 1894, 1894

Jean-Louis Forain

Deuxième Salon du Cycle. 1894, 1894

Sale Date: October 27, 2019

Auction Closed

AFTER THE LOVER'S DEPARTURE

Jean-Louis Forain

AFTER THE LOVER'S DEPARTURE

Sale Date: October 17, 2019

Auction Closed

À la recherche d'une grève

Jean-Louis Forain

À la recherche d'une grève

Sale Date: October 19, 2019

Auction Closed

Chanteuse de café-concert

Jean-Louis Forain

Chanteuse de café-concert

Sale Date: September 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Couple d'élégants

Jean-Louis Forain

Couple d'élégants

Sale Date: September 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Two lithographs., 1892

Jean-Louis Forain

Two lithographs., 1892

Sale Date: September 19, 2019

Auction Closed

Bon pour le service

Jean-Louis Forain

Bon pour le service

Sale Date: August 22, 2019

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JEUNE FEMME

Jean-Louis Forain

JEUNE FEMME

Sale Date: July 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Jeune femme assise

Jean-Louis Forain

Jeune femme assise

Sale Date: June 30, 2019

Auction Closed

PRESUMED PORTRAIT OF NINA DE CALLIAS LYING ON A...

Jean-Louis Forain

PRESUMED PORTRAIT OF NINA DE CALLIAS LYING ON A...

Sale Date: June 26, 2019

Auction Closed

Un coin d'atelier

Jean-Louis Forain

Un coin d'atelier

Sale Date: June 24, 2019

Auction Closed

UNE NUIT CHEZ MAXIM'S, 1907

Jean-Louis Forain

UNE NUIT CHEZ MAXIM'S, 1907

Sale Date: June 20, 2019

Auction Closed

Les danseuses

Jean-Louis Forain

Les danseuses

Sale Date: June 13, 2019

Auction Closed

Le maître de danse

Jean-Louis Forain

Le maître de danse

Sale Date: May 17, 2019

Auction Closed

DANS LES COULISSES

Jean-Louis Forain

DANS LES COULISSES

Sale Date: May 15, 2019

Auction Closed

La promenade

Jean-Louis Forain

La promenade

Sale Date: April 25, 2019

Auction Closed

Beim Gespräch Verso: Im Bergwerk (In the mine)

Jean-Louis Forain

Beim Gespräch Verso: Im Bergwerk (In the mine)

Sale Date: March 29, 2019

Auction Closed