The exhibition 'Prints in Paris 1900: From Elite to the Street' takes you to the cosmopolitan French capital. Over 250 prints from our leading fin de siècle prints collection are being shown in their original context. Due to their fragility, these artworks are rarely displayed.

Modern artists decorated the entire French capital with their prints in the period 1890–1905. World-famous posters like "Le Chat Noir" and "Le Moulin Rouge" were displayed along the boulevards and in popular cafés. Some artists also created exclusive prints for the elite which could only be seen in private collections, fashionable theatres and exclusive galleries.

'Prints in Paris 1900' brings both of these worlds back to life, while presenting a richly nuanced picture of the exciting cultural life of Paris. Step into a richly decorated interior and view the prints like a connoisseur of the social elite. Experience the vibrant fin de siècle street life, in which popular posters, sheet music and magazine illustrations with their bright colours, large letters and powerful silhouettes, grab your attention.

The exhibition Prints in Paris 1900: From Elite to the Street is accompanied by a richly illustrated, large-format catalogue written by Fleur Roos Rosa de Carvalho, the museum’s Curator of Prints and Drawings. The publication is based on years of intensive research into the worlds of printmaking during the French fin de siècle. The book is available in Dutch, English, French and German and will be distributed worldwide. A separate print of Félix Vallotton’s 1896 woodcut Laziness (La paresse), 25 x 33 cm, is included as a special gift for readers. [192 pages, 38 x 25.3 cm, 185 illustration, € 45.00. Publisher: Mercatorfonds, Brussels]