Detail from Suprised! (Tiger in a tropical storm)

French Post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) was born in France's Loire Valley to a family of tinsmiths. Never receiving any formal training, the gifted artist didn't devote himself to his art until he was 49, and remarked that he had no teacher other than nature. His work was popular with his peers, including Picasso and Matisse. As a pioneer of naive art, Rousseau is loved for his striking jungle scenes.