The son of a cabinetmaker, Georges Henri Rouault was born in Paris in 1871. In 1891 he enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux Arts, where the symbolist painter Gustave Moreau was among his teachers and Henri Matisse was among his classmates. Perhaps because of his love of stained glass, Rouault favored thickly delineated and brightly colored images much like ancient eastern icons. This ambition gave rise to Rouault's conspicuous fascination with disfigured humanity and inbreaking grace, and together with the life of Christ, his preferred subjects seem to be prostitutes, disconsolate clowns, and merciless public officials. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays.
Admission is free.