Henri Rivière (1864–1951) - Sunset - Japonism

• One of the most famous lithographs by the legendary Henri Rivière, in very, very good condition, stored flat and protected from light in a printer’s drawer.
• It is offered in a museum-quality frame (featuring anti-reflective and UV-protective glass, acid-free Muséo cardboard between the back of the lithograph and the back of the frame, a classic beveled mat, and a natural oak frame.)
• "Le Coucher de Soleil" is part of the series titled "Les aspects de la nature" and was printed by Eugène Verneau between 1897 and 1898. The lithographic plate was subsequently washed away or destroyed; there has never been a “reprint” or “reproduction.”
• 74 cm high x 101 cm long with frame
• 55 cm high x 83 cm long for the printed portion.

"Henri Rivière (1864–1951) was a leading figure at the Montmartre cabaret Le Chat Noir and one of the most inventive printmakers of the Belle Époque. As the creator of the famous shadow theater that established Le Chat Noir’s reputation in the late 1880s, Henri Rivière went on to make his mark in the field of printmaking through his passion for color.

Standing apart from the artistic movements of his time, he drew inspiration from the landscapes of Brittany, where he frequently stayed, and from the Japanese prints he collected.When he ended his career as a painter and printmaker in 1914, he continued to work as a watercolorist during his travels throughout France.

Apart from a few sessions in the studio of the history painter Emile Bin, Henri Rivière received no formal artistic training. He embarked on his artistic path as a self-taught artist and affirmed his calling through his interactions with the artists he met at Le Chat Noir: Steinlen, Auriol, Willette, Caran d’Ache, and Henry Somm. Founded in 1881 by Rodolphe Salis, the Montmartre cabaret was the gathering place for the entire bohemian scene of the time. Rivière frequented it assiduously from the age of 18 and took part in the production of the newspaper *Le Chat Noir*...

Straddling Impressionism and Japonism, the art of Henri Rivière (1864–1951) is entirely devoted to capturing “the aspects of nature” as the hours and seasons pass. "