Toulouse-Lautrec Le Divan Japonais, museum-stamped lithograph, 33/275.

The original poster 'Divan hu Japonais' was created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893 to advertise the sophisticated Parisian café-concert located at 75 rue des Martyrs. Commissioned by the director Édouard Fournier, the design famously features the dancer Jane Avril and the critic Édouard Dujardin seated in the audience, while the singer Yvette Guilbert is represented only by her iconic long black gloves in the upper left corner. This composition perfectly encapsulates the vibrant bohemian nightlife of Montmartre during the Belle Époque.

Toulouse-Lautrec revolutionized poster art by combining the flat planes and bold outlines of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints with the spontaneous energy of Parisian nightlife. The original color lithographs were printed in limited runs and posted on the walls of Paris, instantly becoming sought-after works of art. In later decades, specialized fine art publishers and museums produced authorized limited edition stone lithographs using traditional lithographic presses to preserve the rich textures and vibrant colors of his masterpieces.