Press release
Otterlo, September 02, 2019
The Kröller-Müller presents Les Parisiens. Caricatures by
Honoré Daumier
Rarely exhibited lithographs from the collection of Helene Kröller-Müller
From 21 September 2019 to 12 January 2020, the Kröller-Müller Museum presents
the exhibition Les Parisiens. Caricatures by Honoré Daumier
Pointed observations
Bickering couples, militant feminists, swaggering lawyers or ill-mannered
tourists: under the motto ‘il faut être de son temps’, Honoré Daumier (1808-1879)
depicts his Parisian contemporaries in a forthright and humorous way. Over a
period of some forty years, Daumier creates more than 4,000 lithographs in
which he uses universal themes to comment on the political and social
developments of his time. His pointed observations of his own era and
environment make him one of the most important caricaturists of the nineteenth
century.
Ban on political cartoons
As of 1832, Daumier’s lithographs are published almost daily in satirical
newspapers such as La Caricature and Le Charivari. Daumier develops his skills
as a caricaturist under the wing of Charles Philipon, draughtsman, journalist and
founder of these newspapers. His first prints have mainly political
implications and demonstrate his antimonarchist position. When
he depicts King Louis Philippe as Gargantua – a giant on a throne who
swallows up the people’s money – he, along with his printer and publisher, receives a fine and a six-month
prison sentence. In 1835, political cartoons are banned in France and La Caricature
is temporarily discontinued.
Well-to-do bourgeoisie
Because of the censorship, Daumier has to find different subjects. From then on,
he takes aim at the behaviour of the well-to-do bourgeoisie. These caricatures
are published in various series in Le Charivari, such as Les bons bourgeois, Les
Parisiens or Les trains de plaisir.
Helene Kröller-Müller collected around 120 lithographs from series such as these.
The poor-quality newspaper on which the pictures are printed makes them very
fragile and for that reason they are seldom exhibited. Thirty lithographs have
been selected for the exhibition, arranged by series.
Editorial note: more information is available via Anneke van der Eerden, telephone
+31 (0)318-591241, +31 (0)6-12792134 or .
You can download photos from the image bank: www.krollermuller.nl/beeldbank.
Information for the public: http://www.krollermuller.nl/visit,
Facebook.com/krollermuller, Twitter.com/krollermuller.