Born in 1844, Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was born to a family of tinsmiths in the French town of Laval, Mayenne, but enjoyed the arts of music and drawing at a young age. Despite his artistic inclinations, as an adult he found himself working a tax collector, which contributed to his nickname, Le Douanier (the customs officer). As he grew older, he began to throw himself more and more into his art. His painting career truly began to pick up when he was in his 40’s, and he began exhibiting his pieces more regularly. 

His artworks focused on scenes in the jungle and he was honored for his style and brilliance by renowned artists like Pablo Picasso. While his work received much criticism for its naive and primitive style, Rousseau is well-recognized in the art world as a self-made and self-taught genius whose paintings continue to influence and inspire avant-garde and impressionist artists. These paintings are sure to light a spark within you! 

1. Tiger in a Tropical Storm (Surprised), 1981, now in the National Gallery, London, England 

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

2. The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897, now in the Museum of Modern Art

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

3. A Carnival Evening, 1886, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

4. Self Portrait, 1890, now in the National Gallery, Prague

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

5. Le Moulin (The Mill), 1896, now in the Musée Maillol, Paris

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

6. Boy on the Rocks, 1895–1897, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

7. La tour Eiffel peinte par Henri Rousseau, 1898, now in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

8. The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, 1905, now in the Fondation Beyeler, Riehen, Basel, Switzerland

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

9. The Dream, 1910, now in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)    

10. Le Pientre et son modèle (The Painter and his Model), 1884, now in the Musée National D'Art Moderne, Paris

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

11. Der Hühnerhof (The Chicken Yard), 1896-1898, now in the Musée National D'Art Moderne, Paris

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

12. Struggle Between Tiger and Bull, 1908-1909, now in the Musée de l'Ermitage, Saint Pétersbourg, Russia

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

13. The Equatorial Jungle, 1909, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.

(By Cliff, Wikimedia Commons)  

14. The Customs Post, 1890, now in the Courtauld Institute and Art Gallery, London

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

15. A Corner of the Plateau of Bellevue, 1901-1902, now in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum (RISD Museum), Providence

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)

16. Landscape on the Banks of the Marne (also known as Autumn), 1888, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

17. Footbridge at Passy, 1895, now in a private collection 

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

18. La Seine à Suresnesl, 1911, now in a private collection 

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

19. Landscape with Cattle, 1886, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art 

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)  

20. Banks of the Oise, 1905, now in the Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA), Northampton, Massachusetts

(By Henri Rousseau, Wikimedia Commons)