Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen 1859, Lausanne – 1923, Paris. After studying literature at the Academy of Lausanne, he settled permanently in Montmartre in 1883, where he became friends with Toulouse-Lautrec, Aristide Bruant, Félix Vallotton, and Alphonse Allais. He struggled valiantly against injustice and contributed to several satirical newspapers including L’Assiette au beurre and Le Rire. In 1896, as a cat lover, he created the famous poster for Rodolphe Salis’ Tournée du chat noir, which would establish his reputation. Denouncing the injustice of the Dreyfus affair and the absurdity of the First World war, he left behind him a powerful body of work that is remarkable modern.