Henri Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter celebrated for his imaginative jungle scenes and distinctive naïve style. Born in Laval, France, in 1844, Rousseau worked for many years as a customs and tax collector in Paris, earning the nickname “Le Douanier” (“the customs officer”). Entirely self-taught, he began painting seriously later in life and exhibited regularly at the Salon des Indépendants from the 1880s onward.
Although often mocked by critics during his lifetime, Rousseau developed a highly original style marked by vivid color, dreamlike compositions, and meticulous detail. His famous jungle paintings, including Tiger in a Tropical Storm and The Sleeping Gypsy, were inspired not by travel but by visits to Paris botanical gardens and natural history museums. Admired by avant-garde artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, Rousseau became an influential figure in modern art. Today, he is regarded as a pioneering artist whose visionary work helped shape Surrealism and modern primitivism.
