In the Wings
Jean Louis Forain (French, 1852–1931)
1899
View the original$19
Type
Size · in
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
In this backstage view of a Parisian opera house, ballerinas field advances from elegantly dressed male patrons, who approach them in pairs. The stoic dancer in the foreground, chin up and eyes downcast, absorbs the penetrating gaze of one large man while another looms just behind her, so close that his black top hat overlaps with her orange headdress. In 19th-century Paris, male abonnés (season ticket holders) had special access to a back room where they could socialize while watching the ballerinas warm up. Many took advantage of this privilege to sexually exploit the young dancers, who were well aware that their careers depended upon the good favor of this donor class.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 60.5 × 73.8 cm (23 3/16 × 29 1/16 in.)
Museum record · 1 owner · 7 exhibitions
Provenance
- Durand-Ruel, Paris, by 1913; sold to Martin A. Ryerson (died 1932), Chicago, for $1,200, November 29, 1913; bequeathed to the Art Institute, 1933.
Exhibitions
- The Arts Club of Chicago, Paintings by Jean-Louis Forain and Sculptures by Emile Bourdelle, December 15, 1922–January 5, 1923.
- Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress: Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June 1–November 1, 1933.
- Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress: Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, June 1–November 1, 1934.
- New York, Jacques Seligmann & Co., The Stage: A Loan Exhibition for the Benefit of the Public Education Association, April 3–22, 1939.
- New York, American Federation of the Arts, Exhibition of Nineteenth Century French Paintings, 1948–1949; traveled to Dayton, Ohio, Dayton Art Institute, June 1–28 1948; Springfield, Missouri, Springfield Art Museum, August 1948; Saginaw, Michigan, The Saginaw Museum, December 19, 1948–January 9, 1949.; Memphis, Tennessee, Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, March 1–22, 1949; Utica, New York, The Munson Williams Proctor Institute, April 1949.
- New York, The Jewish Museum, The Dreyfus Affair: Art, Truth, Justice, September 13, 1987–January 15, 1988.
- Memphis, Tennessee, The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Degas, Forain, Toulouse-Lautrec : Images of Dancers, October 13, 2002–January 5, 2003, no cat. no.
