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Henri Rousseau (1844-1910, FR)

Artist Rank (2007): 825 +

Most exhibitions in:
USA	10

Most exhibitions with:
Name	Rank	№
Paul Cézanne	31	13
Pablo Picasso	2	13
Claude Monet	52	12
Henri Matisse	8	11

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Biography

Foto: Courtesy by gallery "Kunsthalle Tübingen"

21.5.1844
Born in Laval, Mayenne (FR)
He is the third child of the plumber Julien Rousseau and his wife, Eléonore Rousseau, née Guyard.

1861
The Rousseau family moves to Angers.

1863
In March, Rousseau is exempted from military service. He then works for a lawyer in Angers. After stealing 20 francs-partially in the form of postage stamps-he enters the military voluntarily for a period of seven years to mitigate his sentence.

1864
In February, Rousseau is sentenced to a month in prison. He is released in March and returns to the army.

1868
Rousseau´s father dies. Rousseau leaves the army early and moves to Paris, where he works for an officer of the court.

1869
Rousseau marries the 18-year-old seamstress, Clémence Boitard. Only two of their seven children live to become adults.

1870
On July 19, Napoleon III declares war on Prussia; Rousseau rejoins his army corps on July 20. Rousseau returns home on September 15.

1871
Rousseau begins working at the Paris Customs Office in December.

1872
Presumably his first attempts at painting.

1884
Rousseau receives a copyist pass for the Louvre, the Musée du
Luxembourg, and the Versailles and St. Germain palaces.

1885
Rousseau exhibits two of his paintings for the first time. He receives a degree from the Académie Musicale de France for his waltz, Clémence.

1886
At the second Salon of the Société des Artistes Indépendants-the
society of independent artists-he exhibits Carnival Evening and three other works. Except for the years 1899 and 1900, Rousseau then regularly holds exhibitions at the Indépendants.

1887
Critics compare his work to the masters of the early Italian Renaissance.

1888
Rousseau´s first wife, Clémence, dies of tuberculosis at age 37. His work gains the attention of Odilon Redon.

1889
World´s Fair in Paris. Rousseau writes the comedy A Trip to The
Exhibition: Vaudeville in Three Acts and Ten Scenes.

1890
At the 6th Salon des Indépendants, Gauguin admires Rousseau´s
paintings. In addition to depictions of Paris and landscape paintings, Rousseau exhibits the self-portrait Myself, Portrait-Landscape. Death of Rousseau´s mother.

1891
At the 7th Salon des Indépendants, Rousseau exhibits his first painting depicting a jungle, entitled Surprised!, which is praised in an article by Félix Vallotton.

1893
In December, Rousseau retires early-with an annual pension of 1,019 francs.

1894
Rousseau shows his major work, La Guerre (The War), at the 10th Salon des Indépendants. First meeting with Alfred Jarry.

1895
L´Ymagier magazine prints a lithograph by Rousseau modeled on The War. During this time, Rousseau also plays in an amateur orchestra and earns extra money as a street musician.

1897
He exhibits The Sleeping Gypsy at the 13th Salon des Indépendants.

1898
Rousseau unsuccessfully tries to sell The Sleeping Gypsy to the mayor of his hometown, Laval.

1899
He finishes writing the drama The Revenge of a Russian Orphan. In
September, Rousseau marries the widow Joséphine-Rosalie Noury.

1901
His wife opens up a little writing utensils shop, where she also offers
Rousseau´s pictures for sale. At the 17th Salon, he shows-among other pictures-Surprised!, which is praised by Renoir. Rousseau owes the paint supplier Paul Foinet 614.80 francs.

1902 - 1909
Teaches classes in faience, porcelain and water color painting as
well as pastel drawing at the Association Philotéchnique, an adult education center.

1903
Rousseau´s second wife, Joséphine, dies on March 14, at 51. He
participates in the 19th Salon des Indépendants, where he also exhibits In Honor of a Child.

1905
Rousseau participates for the first time in the 3rd Salon d´Automne,
showing his The hungry Lion leaps upon the Antelope-the first Rousseau painting to be published by the press.

1906
Meets Guillaume Apollinaire.

1907
Rousseau is commissioned by Berthe Comtesse de Rose, mother of the painter Robert Delaunay, to paint The Snake Charmer. Becomes friends with Wilhelm Uhde. He exhibits for the last time at the Salon d´Automne, where he shows The Snake Charmer.

1908
At the 24th Salon des Indépendants, Rousseau exhibits the Combat
between a Tiger and a Buffalo, The Football Players, and other works. The jury for the Salon d´Automne rejects his pictures. In the fall, Picasso throws the legendary Banquet in honor of Rousseau at his studio in Bateau Lavoir.

1909
In January, Rousseau becomes enmeshed in a bank fraud scandal,
resulting in a fine of 200 francs and a sentence of two years probation.

1910
Rousseau exhibits The Dream at the 26th Salon des Indépendants. He dies on September 2.

1911
A retrospective of 44 of Rousseau´s works and two photographs is shown at the Salon des Indépendants. Uhde publishes the first biography of Rousseau, whose work is also shown at the first "Blauer Reiter" exhibition.

1912
After he sold two portraits by Rousseau Delaunay buys with the help of Picasso a concession for a grave for thirty years. Apollinaire writes the inscription which is transferred to the gravestone by Brancusi. Exhibition of 29 Rousseau paintings in the Bernheim Jeune Gallery.

1913
At the Berlin Fall Salon, an exhibition of 22 works is shown in memory of Rousseau.

2.9.1910
Died in Paris (FR)

Public exhibitions 27