In late 19th-century Paris, an audacious, bustling world came into being which had a profound influence on the main cultural movements of the 20th century. This unique scenario led to the emergence of the best-known artists of the time, one of the most memorable being Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, owing to his groundbreaking style and daring subject matter. 

Artika celebrates its 15th anniversary with the publication of The Theatre. Toulouse-Lautrec, a limited edition work that includes reproductions of 30 of the artist’s lithographs, images that bore witness to the cultural and urban life of the Parisian cabarets add to the unique district of Montmartre. In selecting the lithographs that comprise this extraordinary work, Artika has worked in conjunction with the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum at Albi. 

Thanks to the meticulous editing and high-quality printing, the reader can appreciate every little detail of the artist’s sketches, and thus enjoy some of the characteristics that distinguish Toulouse-Lautrec’s painting, such as his rapid brushwork and spontaneity when it came to capturing and portraying the reality of the moment. 

The work is comprised of a case shaped like a stage, a clear reference to the theatre and to the world of shows that Toulouse-Lautrec frequented. The front cover features a detail from his work The Box with the Gilded Mask, printed in four inks.

The case has been designed to display the three volumes that make up the work: the Art Book, the book of Studies and the book Montmartre.

The Art Book contains a magnificent collection of 30 lithographs that depict scenes and characters portrayed by the artist during his many visits to the theatres. Each plate has been secured with three drops of glue to a triptych that also includes fragments from the plays and musicals featured in the illustrations, reviews from the period and comments by the artist himself.

The plates, each one numbered and authenticated with a stamp from the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, come in an art folder which also contains a hand-numbered Notarial Certificate. 

The volume Studies carries out an in-depth analysis of Toulouse-Lautrec’s artistic career. It contains exclusive essays by Danièle Devynck, the Chief Curator of Heritage and Director of the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, and studies by leading experts on the artist’s work: Julien Dumas, art specialist, and Valèria Gaillard, cultural journalist. It also includes a chapter containing an individual analysis of each of the plates that appear in the Art Book. 

Published in a bilingual Spanish-English edition, the volume explores Lautrec’s life and his graphic works, from his most brilliant canvases to his famous posters, which were pioneering works in the art of advertising. 

The book Montmartre is a crucial work that enables readers to discover and understand the legendary Parisian district; it features exclusive material from experts, together with documents and testimonies from the period, compiled by Oscar Jané, Associate Professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. During the course of its 112 pages the volume presents fascinating texts that explain the origin and spirit of the cabarets, theatres, streets and inhabitants which marked an entire era. 

A work that allows the reader to enjoy the art of this unique artist through the infinite combinations that can be created between the volumes and the plates. This limited edition of The Theatre will take you on a journey through the life and career of the inimitable Toulouse-Lautrec and will show, in a unique manner, the essence of this chronicler of an unforgettable age.