Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen

Exhibition at the Musée de Montmartre, Paris, 13 October 2023 - 11 February 2024

Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) was an emblematic artist of Montmartre at the end of the 19th century, driven by ideas of universal justice and freedom. He dreamt of a better world and hoped for the advent of a new society. A common thread runs through his extremely prolific body of work: that of commitment, so much so that the artist associated art and politics, becoming a critical witness to his times.

Steinlen moved his motifs from one technique and medium to another, between the illustrated press, book art, posters and paintings. The human race, but also the cat population, a carnivalesque double with an irreducible animal strangeness, were the main subjects of the artist, who was also interested in the classical genres of painting, particularly nudes and landscapes.

Published to mark the centenary of his death, this exhibition catalogue pays tribute to Steinlen, offering new analyses of his work and a wealth of iconography. The book highlights the essentially militant, humanist and hopeful work of an artist who believed in the social and political mission of art.