The self-taught artist, Henri Rousseau, known as the Douanier (custom’s officer), invented a form of art of such modernity that he was hailed by the greatest painters of his time. In Paris, which took centre stage in his work, he spent his time walking along the Seine, from Ile Saint-Louis to the suburbs, filled with wonder by each of its bridges. From the Jardin des Plantes or Montsouris Park, he brought home leaves and flowers which he studied with passion before transforming them into stunning exotic landscapes. Rousseau was the only one to see jungles in the heart of Paris.
