Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Cafés and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec at San Diego Museum of Art

by Patricia Frischer



Although Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was born to a rich family, a disability  stopped his legs from growing but pushed him into a world of art during the Belle Époque in Paris. This exhibition is mainly his work with color lithography*, but what is impressive is his gentle and respectful view of  ladies of the night. Yes, there are posters for performances, advertising commercials, but there are also a few lovely little drawings of horses and a dog, and one or two stunning oil paintings. 

Toulouse-Lautrec was friends with Edgar Degas and Vincent van Gogh, and you see influences, especially in the use of large areas of flat color which now look so contemporary, but go way back to the influence of Japanese graphics.

The museum store has a large selection of Toulouse-Lautrec goodies as you would expect, but it was delightful to see two of our San Diego Art Prize artists featured as well. Books, notebooks and candles related to Marianela de la Hoz and ceramic dishes by Beliz Iristay can be found in displays toward the front of the store.

*”In 1987, the San Diego Museum of Art received the spectacular gift of over one hundred paintings, drawings, and prints from the Baldwin Foundation, then overseen by Maruja Baldwin Hodges. This gift drew from the collection of Baldwin M. Baldwin, a Toulouse-Lautrec connoisseur whose holdings of the artist’s work were among the most comprehensive in the world and which were first shown at The San Diego Museum of Art in 1972. In celebration of this gift and the Museum’s centennial, this exhibition shares approximately fifty works by Toulouse-Lautrec from the permanent collection.”


















Belize Iristay


Marianela de la Hoz


Cafés and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec
On view until September 20, 2026

The San Diego Museum of Art
1450 El Prado Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Sunday  12:00PM - 5:00PMClosed  Wednesday


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