The Art of Connection:

Representations of Social Dance in Visual Art

In this exhibit, you’ll find a curated selection of different representations of social dancing from the world of visual art.

Study for Composition in Gray (Rag-Time) (1918) and Composition in Gray (Rag-Time) (1919) by Theo van Doesburg — The line drawing (left) is the original study for the final oil painting (right). For this and other works, van Doesburg employed a metho

Study for Composition in Gray (Rag-Time) (1918) and Composition in Gray (Rag-Time) (1919) by Theo van Doesburg — The line drawing (left) is the original study for the final oil painting (right). For this and other works, van Doesburg employed a method of "step-by-step towards abstraction."

Le bal, ou une soirée élégante (c. 1890) by Victor Gabriel Gilbert — For a painter whose normal subject matter was farms and marketplaces, this ballroom scene is quite atypical, but it's a beautiful illustration of Belle Époque fashion and dancing.

Le bal, ou une soirée élégante (c. 1890) by Victor Gabriel Gilbert — For a painter whose normal subject matter was farms and marketplaces, this ballroom scene is quite atypical, but it's a beautiful illustration of Belle Époque fashion and dancing.

Dancing at the New Carlton Café in Shanghai (1924) by Yamamura Toyonari — This print depicts taxi dancers at a fashionable Shanghai café. It is notable in the art world for being the first moga ("modern girls") woodblock print, featuring women sporti

Dancing at the New Carlton Café in Shanghai (1924) by Yamamura Toyonari — This print depicts taxi dancers at a fashionable Shanghai café. It is notable in the art world for being the first moga ("modern girls") woodblock print, featuring women sporting Western-style clothes, bobbed hair, and makeup while enjoying cocktails.

Dancing Bar in Baden-Baden (1923) by Max Beckmann — A member of the New Objectivity movement, Beckmann's art was among that which was displayed in the Nazi's infamous Degenerate Art exhibition in 1937.

Dancing Bar in Baden-Baden (1923) by Max Beckmann — A member of the New Objectivity movement, Beckmann's art was among that which was displayed in the Nazi's infamous Degenerate Art exhibition in 1937.

Drehende Tänzerin (1931) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner — Over his career, Kirchner illustrated a variety of different dance styles. This particular painting of a dancing couple almost feels anachronistic, as it could easily represent a pair of Salsa dance

Drehende Tänzerin (1931) by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner — Over his career, Kirchner illustrated a variety of different dance styles. This particular painting of a dancing couple almost feels anachronistic, as it could easily represent a pair of Salsa dancers today.

Dancing Couple at the Moulin de la Galette (c. 1907) by Isaac Israels — My personal favorite, this piece from Israels' Café Dansant series effectively embodies the title of this exhibit, capturing a candid moment of connection on the dance floor.

Dancing Couple at the Moulin de la Galette (c. 1907) by Isaac Israels — My personal favorite, this piece from Israels' Café Dansant series effectively embodies the title of this exhibit, capturing a candid moment of connection on the dance floor.

Le Bal élégant, La Danse à la campagne (1913) by Marie Laurencin — A friend of Pablo Picasso, Laurencin is known for her abstract, pastel representations of feminine harmony in a world devoid of men.

Le Bal élégant, La Danse à la campagne (1913) by Marie Laurencin — A friend of Pablo Picasso, Laurencin is known for her abstract, pastel representations of feminine harmony in a world devoid of men.

Dance of Life (1899) by Edvard Munch — This painting, which is part of Munch's greater Frieze of Life project, depicts three stages of womanhood, from the young woman on the left in white, the mature woman in the center in red, and the old woman on t

Dance of Life (1899) by Edvard Munch — This painting, which is part of Munch's greater Frieze of Life project, depicts three stages of womanhood, from the young woman on the left in white, the mature woman in the center in red, and the old woman on the right in black.

Dance Hall (1885) and Couple Dancing (1885) by Vincent Van Gogh — Artistically, these dancing sketches are most notable for their contrast from Van Gogh's more well-known works from 1885, which include many portraits, still lifes, and landscapes, in

Dance Hall (1885) and Couple Dancing (1885) by Vincent Van Gogh — Artistically, these dancing sketches are most notable for their contrast from Van Gogh's more well-known works from 1885, which include many portraits, still lifes, and landscapes, in addition to iconic works like The Potato Eaters and Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette. These sketches are a good reminder of the range of the artistic mind, which mirrors the stylistic range of the multi-dance social dancer.

Dance at Le moulin de la Galette (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir — On the left, the Cuban painter Don Pedro Vidal de Solares y Cardenas is shown dancing with one of Renoir's repeat models, Margot (Marguerite Legrand). The story goes that Margot found

Dance at Le moulin de la Galette (1876) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir — On the left, the Cuban painter Don Pedro Vidal de Solares y Cardenas is shown dancing with one of Renoir's repeat models, Margot (Marguerite Legrand). The story goes that Margot found her partner too reserved, so she tried to liven him up by dancing polkas with him and teaching him bawdy songs in the local slang.

Dancing at the Moulin Rouge (1897) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — In this lithograph, we see French Moulin Rouge performer, Cha-U-Kao (a.k.a. The Clowness) dancing with her lover, Gabrielle the Dancer.

Dancing at the Moulin Rouge (1897) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — In this lithograph, we see French Moulin Rouge performer, Cha-U-Kao (a.k.a. The Clowness) dancing with her lover, Gabrielle the Dancer.

La Valse (1889-1905) by Camille Claudel — Claudel's most famous sculpture was inspired by her passionate affair with Auguste Rodin. Despite Rodin's support, Claudel repeatedly struggled to attain commissions for the work due to its perceived indecenc

La Valse (1889-1905) by Camille Claudel — Claudel's most famous sculpture was inspired by her passionate affair with Auguste Rodin. Despite Rodin's support, Claudel repeatedly struggled to attain commissions for the work due to its perceived indecency.

Dance on the Quay (1899) and Dance on a Jetty (1903) by Hugo Simberg — Separated by 4 years, the scenes illustrated by Simberg are nearly identical, except of course that in the earlier scene, the dancing men are skeletons.

Dance on the Quay (1899) and Dance on a Jetty (1903) by Hugo Simberg — Separated by 4 years, the scenes illustrated by Simberg are nearly identical, except of course that in the earlier scene, the dancing men are skeletons.

Dancers at Monico's (c. 1910) by Gino Severini — This illustration of social dancing at Monico's is notable for its relative realism compared to Severini's more famous work, Pan-Pan Dance at Monico (see below).

Dancers at Monico's (c. 1910) by Gino Severini — This illustration of social dancing at Monico's is notable for its relative realism compared to Severini's more famous work, Pan-Pan Dance at Monico (see below).

La Danse (1910) by Henri Matisse — Circle dancing (also known as line dancing) is one of the oldest and most enduring forms of social dance. This colorful representation thereof is regarded as a key point not only in Matisse's career, but the history

La Danse (1910) by Henri Matisse — Circle dancing (also known as line dancing) is one of the oldest and most enduring forms of social dance. This colorful representation thereof is regarded as a key point not only in Matisse's career, but the history of modern painting.

Renoir’s Dance Couple Trilogy

Renoir’s Dance in the City, Dance in the Country, and Dance at Bougival were all produced in 1883 at the request of French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel. Each of the three canvases is around 180 cm by 90 cm (6 ft by 3 ft), making the figures nearly life-size. The three paintings were designed to illustrate different levels of formality in dancing, from City (most formal) to Country to Bougival (least formal). Interestingly, this hierarchy of formality can be seen in the number of gloves being worn: in City, both dancers wear gloves; in Country, only the lady does; and in Bougival, neither do.

The gentleman in all three pictures is generally believed to be Renoir’s friend Paul Lhôte. The lady in City is Suzanne Valadon, a fellow painter. The lady in Country is Aline Charigot, Renoir's future wife. The lady in Bougival is also generally believed to be Suzanne Valadon, but some believe she is actually a combination of Valadon and Charigot.

Dance in the City (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance in the City (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance in the Country (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance in the Country (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance at Bougival (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dance at Bougival (1883) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The Scene of the Dance

While the following two paintings do not, at least distinguishably, illustrate couples dancing, they were designed to, and effectively succeed at, conveying the feeling of being in the respective dance halls. Anyone who has been at a crowded dance event will immediately recognize the crush of bodies that is illustrated in these two works.

La Salle de danse à Arles (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh — This depiction of the crowd at the Folies-Arlésiennes dance hall in Arles in the South of France was created during a brief period of collaboration with Paul Gaugin.

La Salle de danse à Arles (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh — This depiction of the crowd at the Folies-Arlésiennes dance hall in Arles in the South of France was created during a brief period of collaboration with Paul Gaugin.

Pan-Pan Dance at Monico (1911/1960) by Gino Severini — The original version from 1911 was destroyed in World War II, so Severini recreated it, from a combination of B&W photographs and his memory, in 1959-1960.

Pan-Pan Dance at Monico (1911/1960) by Gino Severini — The original version from 1911 was destroyed in World War II, so Severini recreated it, from a combination of B&W photographs and his memory, in 1959-1960.

Updated: March 2025
First Displayed: March 2025