?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 7,000 - $ 10,000
HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) MAY MILTON. 1895. 31x23 1/2 inches. Condition A-: pinholes in corners. A fixture in Montmartre's demimonde, Lautrec loved to attend shows at music halls, and did so tirelessly. With his active imagination and whimsical fantasy he would often fall in love with improbable performers or acts. His attraction to May Belfort, who sang kitschy love songs while holding a cat, resulted in a poster for her. It also resulted in a poster for her lover, May Milton, who was an English dancer. It is one of the best examples of Lautrec's magic use of blank paper to help create an image. Against the white background, he evokes the perspective of the stage with a few lines, and he evokes the dancer's figure in a similar manner. The only real detail is in her face. Against a solid blue background, the composition is a tribute to Ukiyo-e Japanese prints as interpreted by Lautrec's genius. Adriani 134-II, Delteil 336, DFP-II 836, Witrock P17B, Wine Spectator 45, Weill 50.
