1955 Original Toulouse-Lautrec Poster “The Clownese Cha-u-kao”-

Affiches, eaux-fortes, lithographies.

Maison de la Pensée française. 27 octobre - 11 décembre 1955

Size: 17 ¾ x 26 ½ inches (45 x 67 cm)

Lithograph print by F. Mourlot, Paris

Original exhibition lithography poster by Toulouse Lautrec for the exhibition at “Maison de La pensée Française”.

The Poster is linen backed and in excellent condition.

The image is a wonderful reproduction of Lautrec’s original 1896 lithograph “The Clownese Cha-u-kao”.

 The Clownese Cha-u-kao was a dancer and clown at the Nouveau Cirque and the Moulin Rouge. Cha-U-Kao owes her Japanese sounding name to the phonetic transcription of the French words "chahut" (an acrobatic dance derived from the cancan) and "chaos" referring to the uproar that occurred when she came on stage.

Like La Goulue, Cha-U-Kao is a recurring figure in the painter's work and belongs to the world of Parisian showbiz in the late 19th century. Her work as a clown and sometimes even an acrobat nonetheless brought her closer to the circus tradition – which also fascinated the painter – than to the cabarets.