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 (1,637 results)
Säulenhalle mit Balletttänzerin

Jean-Louis Forain

Säulenhalle mit Balletttänzerin

Sale Date: May 3, 2024

Auction Closed

La toilette

Jean-Louis Forain

La toilette

Sale Date: March 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Au café

Jean-Louis Forain

Au café

Sale Date: March 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Scène d'atelier, 1910

Jean-Louis Forain

Scène d'atelier, 1910

Sale Date: April 4, 2024

Auction Closed

Homme en pied

Attributed to Jean-Louis Forain

Homme en pied

Sale Date: March 21, 2024

Auction Closed

Marianne consolant un politicien (recto-verso)

Jean-Louis Forain

Marianne consolant un politicien (recto-verso)

Sale Date: March 21, 2024

Auction Closed

La coiffure

Jean-Louis Forain

La coiffure

Sale Date: March 12, 2024

Auction Closed

Canal Saint-Martin, Paris.

Jean-Louis Forain

Canal Saint-Martin, Paris.

Sale Date: March 14, 2024

Auction Closed

Aux courses: la rentrée au Pesage, 1895

Jean-Louis Forain

Aux courses: la rentrée au Pesage, 1895

Sale Date: March 20, 2024

Auction Closed

Aux Folies Bergers

After Jean-Louis Forain

Aux Folies Bergers

Sale Date: February 7, 2024

Auction Closed

Rentrant à Paris, le bal de l'Opéra

Jean-Louis Forain

Rentrant à Paris, le bal de l'Opéra

Sale Date: February 3, 2024

Auction Closed

A portrait of the artist's wife

Attributed to Jean-Louis Forain

A portrait of the artist's wife

Sale Date: November 15, 2023

Auction Closed

La Grande guerre

Jean-Louis Forain

La Grande guerre

Sale Date: December 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Le peintre dans son atelier, 1882

Jean-Louis Forain

Le peintre dans son atelier, 1882

Sale Date: December 6, 2023

Auction Closed

L'aveu

Jean-Louis Forain

L'aveu

Sale Date: November 21, 2023

Auction Closed

La cage à oiseaux et femme épluchant des pommes...

Jean-Louis Forain

La cage à oiseaux et femme épluchant des pommes...

Sale Date: November 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Nous vous attendons chez Sylvain, après le théâtre

Jean-Louis Forain

Nous vous attendons chez Sylvain, après le théâtre

Sale Date: November 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Voyons sois raisonnable

Jean-Louis Forain

Voyons sois raisonnable

Sale Date: November 26, 2023

Auction Closed

La Parisienne, 1910

Jean-Louis Forain

La Parisienne, 1910

Sale Date: November 21, 2023

Auction Closed

Femme élégante, 1885

Jean-Louis Forain

Femme élégante, 1885

Sale Date: November 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Danseuses

Jean-Louis Forain

Danseuses

Sale Date: November 15, 2023

Auction Closed

An elegant couple having an intimate chat on , 1880

Jean-Louis Forain

An elegant couple having an intimate chat on , 1880

Sale Date: November 14, 2023

Auction Closed

La conversation

Jean-Louis Forain

La conversation

Sale Date: October 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Säulenhalle mit Balletttänzerin

Jean-Louis Forain

Säulenhalle mit Balletttänzerin

Sale Date: November 10, 2023

Auction Closed