La Goulue entering the Moulin Rouge 1892
Henri de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC France 1864 – 1901 oil on cardboard on cardboard 79.4 (h) x 59.0 (w) cm The Museum of Modern Art, New York Gift of Mrs David M. Levy, 1957
Louise Weber, known as La Goulue (The Glutton), was famous for her notorious chahut, which she danced in revealing costumes, sometimes without underwear. Hired by Charles Zidler to perform at the Moulin Rouge, Lautrec captures La Goulue’s arrival – her sister to her right and fellow dancer Nini les Pattes-en-l’air (literally, Nini Feet-in-the-Air) to her left. La Goulue is shown with an ashen face, heavily made-up eyes and a twisted smile: a brutal portrayal that exposes the darker realities of the cabaret culture.