Henri Rousseau claimed that he had "no teacher other than nature." It was not until his late forties that the retired customs officer began to paint. His naively appearing paintings of exotic plants and animals were initially ridiculed by the public, but they found enthusiastic resonance among avant-garde artists such as Picasso, the Surrealists, and Kandinsky. This comprehensive introduction showcases the development of this late-blooming artist and unusual hero of modernism.