Musée d’Orsay · 1889
La Toilette
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Toulouse-Lautrec paints a woman seated on the floor with her back to the viewer, caught in a private, unposed moment before or after washing — an intimate glimpse indebted to Edgar Degas, whom Lautrec deeply admired and consciously echoed in this loose, "keyhole" style of observation.
Why it matters
Toulouse-Lautrec paints a woman seated on the floor with her back to the viewer, caught in a private, unposed moment before or after washing — an intimate glimpse indebted to Edgar Degas, whom Lautrec deeply admired and consciously echoed in this loose, "keyhole" style of observation.
Look closer
Notice the high, slightly overhead viewpoint and the quick, unblended brushwork — Lautrec captures a fleeting private moment rather than a formal, posed portrait.
The model was likely Carmen Gaudin, one of Lautrec's favorite red-haired models, whom he painted repeatedly throughout his career and gave the simple exhibition title "Rousse" ("Redhead").
Value context
ELYIO places this work in an indicative editorial context of €15–28 million.
The museum work is not for sale. This is ELYIO indicative context—not an appraisal, insurance value or offer.