Rousseau, Henri (1844-1910)
La maison du péage (The Toll Gate)
c.1890
Oil on canvas, 40.6 x 32.75 cm
Courtauld Institute of Art, London
This is the only known painting in which the amateur artist Henri Rousseau referenced his employment as a tax collector – a job that earnt him the playful nickname of ‘Le Douanier’, or customs agent. Paris was surrounded by toll gates such as this one, where all goods entering the city were taxed. But Rousseau liked to paint invented landscapes, and this particular scene appears dreamlike and imagined. Though mocked by some, his personal, untaught style was acclaimed by Pablo Picasso and other members of the avant-garde. (Courtauld)