Barnes survey spotlights Henri Rousseau’s deliberate, childlike style

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia is showing a focused survey of Henri Rousseau that brings together 55 paintings and one lithograph of the self-taught artist, emphasizing the childlike but deliberate quality of his work. The exhibition includes portraits such as the small-headed, black-clad “Portrait of Madame M.” and landmark dreamscapes like “Carnival Evening” and late jungle scenes including “Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest.” Curators Nancy Ireson, Christopher Green and Juliette Degennes chose works that underline Rousseau’s consistent, idealized style rather than staging archival pairings or thematic crossovers.

Rousseau, born in 1844 in Laval, worked in a customs office and began painting full time after retiring at 41. He showed at the Salon des Indépendants from 1866 nearly every year thereafter. The review notes his appeal to younger artists and writers such as Picasso and Alfred Jarry, anecdotes about works like “The Sleeping Gypsy,” and that Barnes acquired 11 of the paintings on view.

The show largely resists broader contextual gambits and leaves some of Rousseau’s self-myths in view — for example his use of the name “Le Douanier” and his false claim of military service in Mexico, which the review says did not occur. The exhibition runs through Feb.

Key Topics

Culture, Henri Rousseau, Barnes Foundation, Carnival Evening, Madame M, Salon Des Indépendants