When I heard that the Art Institute of Chicago was having an exhibit on Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, I got very excited. 

Toulouse-Lautrec is one of my favorite artists of all times. He has inspired many of my graphic design projects in art school. In fact, one the schools I attended in my hometown, Lima, Peru was named after him. Consequently, I’m very familiar with his life and career–being in front of this collection brought up many memories of my early years in design. 

Montmartre, a beautiful place in Paris, was really known back in the 19th century for its bohemian spirit and artistic atmosphere. Toulouse became part of this culture with his art, so most of his pieces are influenced by singers and performers from many of the cabarets in the area, being the Moulin Rouge one of his most recurrent places.