Henri Rousseau(1844–1910) was a torchbearer for avant-garde artists who defied conventional norms to navigate their own artistic path. Ridiculed for his lack of formal training and his Naive and Primitive style, he was a self-taught artist. Pablo Picasso was so enamored by his work that he threw a banquet in his honour, which became one of the most notable events of the 20th century.
Henri Rousseau's most famous painting,Tiger in a Tropical Storm(1891) was inspired by his military experiences in the jungles of Mexico.