Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Guggenheim was a French post-impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier (the customs officer), a humorous description of his occupation as a toll and tax collector. He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time. Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality. Rousseau's work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

artists.Roberta Smith (14 July 2006
"Henri Rousseau: In imaginary jungles, a terrible beauty lurks"
''The New York Times''. Accessed 14 July 2006

Biography

Early life

Rousseau was born in

Laval, Mayenne Laval () is a town in western France, about west-southwest of Paris, and the capital of the Mayenne department. Its inhabitants are called ''Lavallois''. The commune of Laval proper, without the metropolitan area, is the 7th most populous in ...

, France, in 1844 into the family of a tinsmith; he was forced to work there as a small boy. He attended Laval High School as a day student, and then as a boarder after his father became a debtor and his parents had to leave the town upon the seizure of their house. Though mediocre in some of his high school subjects, Rousseau won prizes for drawing and music.''Henri Rousseau'', (1979), Dora Vallier After high school, he worked for a lawyer and studied law, but "attempted a small perjury and sought refuge in the army." He served four years, starting in 1863. With his father's death, Rousseau moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1868 to support his widowed mother as a government employee. In 1868, he married Clémence Boitard, his landlord's 15-year-old daughter, with whom he had six children (only one survived). In 1871, he was appointed as a collector of the

octroi Octroi (; fro, octroyer, to grant, authorize; Lat. ''auctor'') is a local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption. Antiquity The word itself is of French origin. Octroi taxes have a respectable antiquity, bein ...

of Paris, collecting taxes on goods entering Paris. His wife died in 1888 and he married Josephine Noury in 1898.

Career

From 1886, he exhibited regularly in the

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

, and, although his work was not placed prominently, it drew an increasing following over the years. '' Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised!)'' was exhibited in 1891, and Rousseau received his first serious review when the young artist

Félix Vallotton Félix Édouard Vallotton (; December 28, 1865December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as . He was an important figure in the development of the modern woodcut. He painted portra ...

wrote: "His tiger surprising its prey ought not to be missed; it's the alpha and omega of painting." Yet it was more than a decade before Rousseau returned to depicting his vision of jungles. In 1893, Rousseau moved to a studio in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

where he lived and worked until his death in 1910. In 1897, he produced one of his most famous paintings, ''La Bohémienne endormie'' (''

The Sleeping Gypsy ''The Sleeping Gypsy'' (French: ''La Bohémienne endormie'') is an 1897 oil painting by French Naïve artist Henri Rousseau (1844–1910). It is a fantastical depiction of a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night. Rousseau first ...

''). In 1905, Rousseau's large jungle scene '' The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope'' was exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants near works by younger leading avant-garde artists such as

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

, in what is now seen as the first showing of The Fauves. Rousseau's painting may even have influenced the naming of the Fauves. In 1907, he was commissioned by artist

Robert Delaunay Robert Delaunay (12 April 1885 – 25 October 1941) was a French artist who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstra ...

's mother, Berthe, Comtesse de Delaunay, to paint ''

The Snake Charmer ''The Snake Charmer'' is an oil-on-canvas Orientalist painting by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme produced around 1879. After it was used on the cover of Edward Said's book ''Orientalism'' in 1978, the work "attained a level of notoriety matche ...

''.

Le Banquet Rousseau

When

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

happened upon a painting by Rousseau being sold on the street as a canvas to be painted over, the younger artist instantly recognised Rousseau's genius and went to meet him. In 1908, Picasso held a half serious, half burlesque banquet in his studio at

Le Bateau-Lavoir The Bateau-Lavoir ("Washhouse Boat") is the nickname of a building in the Montmartre district of the 18th arrondissement of Paris that is famous in art history as the residence and meeting place for a group of outstanding early 20th-century artist ...

in Rousseau's honour. ''Le Banquet Rousseau'', "one of the most notable social events of the twentieth century," wrote American poet and literary critic

John Malcolm Brinnin John Malcolm Brinnin (September 13, 1916 – June 26, 1998) was a Canadian-born American poet and literary critic. Life and work Brinnin was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to American parents John A. Brinnin and Frances Malcolm Brinnin ...

, "was neither an orgiastic occasion nor even an opulent one. Its subsequent fame grew from the fact that it was a colorful happening within a revolutionary art movement at a point of that movement's earliest success, and from the fact that it was attended by individuals whose separate influences radiated like spokes of creative light across the art world for generations."John Malcolm Brinnin, ''The Third Rose, Gertrude Stein and Her World'', An Atlantic Monthly Press Book, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Toronto, 1959
/ref> Guests at the ''banquet Rousseau'' included:

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of t ...

Jean Metzinger Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger (; 24 June 1883 – 3 November 1956) was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1 ...

Juan Gris José Victoriano González-Pérez (23 March 1887 – 11 May 1927), better known as Juan Gris (; ), was a Spanish painter born in Madrid who lived and worked in France for most of his active period. Closely connected to the innovative artistic ge ...

Max Jacob Max Jacob (; 12 July 1876 – 5 March 1944) was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic. Life and career After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic ca ...

Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde as a member of the Cubists associated with the Section d'Or. Biography Laurencin was born in Paris ...

, André Salmon,

Maurice Raynal Portrait of Maurice Raynal (1911), by Juan Gris. Maurice Raynal (3 February 1884, Paris – 18 September 1954, Suresnes) was a French art critic and an ardent propagandist of cubism. Some publications *''Essai de Définition de la Peinture C ...

, Daniel-Henri Kahnweiler,

Leo Stein Leo Stein (May 11, 1872 – July 29, 1947) was an American art collector and critic. He was born in Allegheny City (now in Pittsburgh), the older brother of Gertrude Stein. He became an influential promoter of 20th-century paintings. Education ...

, and

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

. Maurice Raynal, in ''Les Soirées de Paris'', 15 January 1914, p. 69, wrote about "Le Banquet Rousseau". Years later the French writer André Salmon recalled the setting of the illustrious banquet:

Retirement and death

After Rousseau's retirement in 1893, he supplemented his small pension with part-time jobs and work such as playing a violin in the streets. He also worked briefly at '' Le petit Journal'', where he produced a number of its covers. Rousseau exhibited his final painting, '' The Dream'', in March 1910, at the

Salon des Independants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

Henri Rousseau - Le Rêve - Google Art Project

In the same month Rousseau suffered a phlegmon in his leg, one which he ignored. In August, when he was admitted to the

Necker Hospital Necker may refer to: * Necker (surname) * ''Necker'' (ship), several ships * Neckerchief, cloth worn round the neck * Necker cube, optical illusion * Necker Island (Hawaii) * Necker Island (British Virgin Islands) * Necker–Enfants Malades Hospi ...

where his son had died, he was found to have gangrene in his leg. After an operation, he died from a

blood clot A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of ...

on 2 September 1910. At his funeral, seven friends stood at his grave: the painters

Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the Pointillist style. Biography Paul Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863. ...

and

Manuel Ortiz de Zárate Manuel Ortiz de Zárate Pinto (October 9, 1887 – October 28, 1946) was a Chilean painter, born in Italy and raised in Chile. He was active from 1902 to 1945, in Paris and in Italy. Biography Born as Manuel Revuelta Ortiz de Zárate Pinto ...

; the artist couple

and Sonia Terk; the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși; Rousseau's landlord Armand Queval, and

, who wrote the epitaph Brâncuși put on the tombstone:

We salute you Gentle Rousseau you can hear us. Delaunay, his wife, Monsieur Queval and myself. Let our luggage pass duty free through the gates of heaven. We will bring you brushes paints and canvas. That you may spend your sacred leisure in the light and Truth of Painting. As you once did my portrait facing the stars, lion and the gypsy.

Artistry

Paintings

Rousseau claimed he had "no teacher other than nature", although he admitted he had received "some advice" from two established Academic painters, Félix Auguste Clément and

Jean-Léon Gérôme Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – 10 January 1904) was a French painter and sculptor in the style now known as academicism. His paintings were so widely reproduced that he was "arguably the world's most famous living artist by 1880." The ra ...

. Essentially, he was self-taught and is considered to be a naïve or primitive painter. His best-known paintings depict jungle scenes, even though he never left France or saw a jungle. Stories spread by admirers that his army service included the French expeditionary force to Mexico are unfounded. His inspiration came from illustrations in children's books and the botanical gardens in

, as well as tableaux of taxidermy wild animals. During his term of service, he had also met soldiers who had survived the French expedition to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and he listened to their stories of the subtropical country they had encountered. To the critic

Arsène Alexandre Arsène Alexandre (16 August 1859, Paris – 1 October 1937, Brain sur Allonnes) was a French art critic. He was a contributor to ''L'Événement'', ''Le Paris'' and ''L'Éclair'' and in 1894 was one of the founders of the satirical journal ''L ...

, he described his frequent visits to the Jardin des Plantes: "When I go into the glass houses and I see the strange plants of exotic lands, it seems to me that I enter into a dream." Along with his exotic scenes there was a concurrent output of smaller topographical images of the city and its suburbs. He claimed to have invented a new genre of ''portrait landscape'', which he achieved by starting a painting with a specific view, such as a favourite part of the city, and then depicting a person in the foreground.

Criticism and recognition

Rousseau's flat, seemingly childish style was disparaged by many critics; people often were shocked by his work or ridiculed it.''Henri Rousseau, 1844–1910'' By Cornelia Stabenow
page 10 His ingenuousness was extreme, and he always aspired, in vain, to conventional acceptance. Many observers commented that he painted like a child, but the work shows sophistication with his particular technique.

Legacy

Rousseau's work exerted an extensive influence on several generations of avant-garde artists, including

Jean Hugo Jean Hugo (19 November 1894 – 21 June 1984) was a painter, illustrator, theatre designer and author. He was born in Paris and died in his home at the Mas de Fourques, near Lunel, France. Brought up in a lively artistic environment, he began ...

, Fernand Léger

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the movement. In the 1920s ...

, and the Surrealists. According to Roberta Smith, an art critic writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', "Beckmann’s amazing self-portraits, for example, descend from the brusque, concentrated forms of Rousseau’s portrait of the writer

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica El ...

."Joann Moser (1985) "Pre-Cubist Works, 1904–1909" in ''Jean Metzinger in Retrospect''. The University of Iowa Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Trust, University of Washington Press. pp. 34, 35. In 1911, a retrospective exhibition of Rousseau's works was shown at the

. His paintings were also shown at the first

Blaue Reiter ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...

exhibition. Critics have noted the influence of Rousseau on

Wallace Stevens Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance compa ...

's poetry. See, for instance, Stevens's " Floral Decorations for Bananas" in the collection ''Harmonium''. The American poet

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, '' Th ...

was a great admirer of Rousseau, referencing his art, as well as drawing inspiration from his works in her poetry. The poem, "Yadwigha, on a Red Couch, Among Lilies" (1958), is based upon his painting, ''The Dream'', whilst the poem "Snakecharmer" (1957) is based upon his painting ''The Snake Charmer''. The song "The Jungle Line", by Joni Mitchell, is based upon a Rousseau painting. Underground comic artist

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal comedy, surreal daily comic strip ''Zippy the Pinhead, Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are w ...

drew a four-page biographical sketch of Rousseau, ''A Couch in the Sun'', which was included in issue #2 of the ''Arcade'' anthology. The visual style of Michel Ocelot's 1998 animation film, ''

Kirikou and the Sorceress ''Kirikou and the Sorceress'' (french: Kirikou et la Sorcière, ) is a 1998 traditional animation feature film written and directed by Michel Ocelot. Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves h ...

'', is partly inspired by Rousseau, particularly the depiction of the jungle vegetation. A Rousseau painting was used as an inspiration for the 2005 animated film ''

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

''. Rousseau's 1908 painting ''Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo'' was used as the inspiration for a series of 2021 advertisements concerning the rebrand of

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

into the

metaverse In science fiction, the "metaverse" is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal, and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. In colloquial usa ...

company Meta.

Exhibitions

Two major museum exhibitions of his work were held in 1984–85 (in Paris, at the Grand Palais; and in New York, at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

) and in 2001 (Tübingen, Germany). "These efforts countered the persona of the humble, oblivious naïf by detailing his assured single-mindedness and tracked the extensive influence his work exerted on several generations of vanguard artists," critic Roberta Smith wrote in a review of a later exhibition. A major exhibition of his work, "Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris", was shown at the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It ...

from November 2005 for four months, organised by the Tate and the Musée d'Orsay, where the show also appeared. The exhibition, encompassing 49 of his paintings, was on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from 16 July to 15 October 2006. A major collection of Rousseau's work was shown at the Grand Palais from 15 March to 19 June 2006.

Gallery

File:Henri-Julien-Félix Rousseau, French - Carnival Evening - Google Art Project.jpg, ''A Carnival Evening,'' 1886, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA File:Henri Rousseau - Myself- Portrait – Landscape - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Self Portrait'', 1890, National Gallery, Prague File:Henri Rousseau - Le Moulin.jpg, ''Le Moulin (The Mill)'', c. 1896,

Musée Maillol The Musée Maillol is an art museum located in the 7th arrondissement at 59–61, rue de Grenelle, Paris, France. History In 1964, Dina Vierny donated Maillol's monumental sculptures to the state. André Malraux, Minister of Culture, installs t ...

, Paris File:Boy on the Rocks - 1895-7 - Henri Rousseau.jpg, '' Boy on the Rocks'', 1895–1897, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:La Bohémienne endormie.jpg, ''

'', 1897, MoMA, New York File:Douanier Rousseau tour Eiffel.jpg, ''La tour Eiffel peinte par Henri Rousseau'', 1898,

Houston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

, Houston, Texas File:Henri Rousseau - Self-portrait of the Artist with a Lamp.jpg, ''Self-portrait of the Artist with a Lamp'', 1903 File:Henri Rousseau - The Merry Jesters.jpg, ''The Merry Jesters'', 1906, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA File:Henri Rousseau - The Flamingoes.jpg, ''The Flamingoes'', 1907, Private collection File:HENRI ROUSSEAU - La Encantadora de Serpientes (Museo de Orsay, París, 1907. Óleo sobre lienzo, 169 x 189.5 cm).jpg, ''The Snake Charmer'', 1907, Musée d'Orsay, Paris File:Rousseau theRepastOfTheLion.jpg, '' The Repast of the Lion'', c.1907,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, New York File:Henri Rousseau - Exotic Landscape.jpg, ''Exotic Landscape'', 1908, Private collection File:Henri Rousseau - Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo.jpg, ''Fight Between a Tiger and a Buffalo'', 1908,

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

, Cleveland, Ohio File:Henri Rousseau - Vue de pont de Sèvres.jpg, ''View of the Bridge in Sevres and the Hills of Clamart, Saint-Cloud and Bellevue with biplane, balloon and dirigible'', 1908,

Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (russian: Музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина, abbreviated as ) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just oppo ...

File:Henri Rousseau - Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo.jpg, ''In a Tropical Forest Combat of a Tiger and a Buffalo'', 1908–1909,

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest ...

, St. Petersburg File:Henri Rousseau - The Football Players.jpg, ''The Football Players'', 1908,

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

, New York Image:La muse inspirant le poète.jpg, ''Muse Inspiring the Poet'' (Portrait of

and

), 1909,

Kunstmuseum Basel The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the oldest public art collection in the world and is generally considered to be the most important museum of art in Switzerland. It is listed as a heritage site of national significance. Its lineage extends back to ...

, Switzerland File:The Equatorial Jungle.JPG, ''The Equatorial Jungle'', 1909, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. File:Henri Rousseau - Bouquet of Flowers (Tate Gallery).jpg, ''Bouquet of Flowers'', 1910,

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, London File:Henri Rousseau - Portrait de Monsieur X.jpg, ''

'', 1910,

Kunsthaus Zürich The Kunsthaus Zürich is in terms of area the biggest art museum of Switzerland and houses one of the most important art collections in Switzerland, assembled over the years by the local art association called '. The collection spans from the Midd ...

, Switzerland

References

External links

Henrirousseau.org
118 works by Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris, at the National Gallery of Art
Brief introduction to the artist's life and art. Entry contains links to two large reproductions of Rousseau paintings in the National Gallery of Art, a 4th grade lesson relating Rousseau's paintings to ecology, and hands-on activities suitable for classroom or home study.

*
''The Sleeping Gypsy''
in the MoMA Online Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Rousseau, Henri 1844 births 1910 deaths People from Laval, Mayenne 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists Post-impressionist painters Naïve painters Self-taught artists Burials at the Cimetière parisien de Bagneux 19th-century French male artists Deaths from surgical complications