Painter
Henri Rousseau
The self-taught painter of dream jungles, who worked as a toll collector.
On Picturepops™ cards · 3
The life
1844–1910Born Laval, France
Henri Rousseau worked for years as a clerk in the Paris toll service, which earned him the nickname Le Douanier, and taught himself to paint. Critics laughed at his flat, careful pictures, but younger artists such as Picasso admired them. He never left France, yet painted lush jungles full of animals, drawn from the botanical garden and picture books. Our cards include Tropical Forest with Monkeys of 1910.