Raoul Dufy

The French painter and draftsman Raoul Dufy is one of the most important representatives of Fauvism. His first works are marked by several influences: by Impressionism, by Henri Matisse, by Cubism and finally by Paul Cézanne. Dufy underlays his drawings with large areas of color. His style is characterized by the independent juxtaposition of structure and color. For him, the watercolor is the most important means of expression in order to reproduce a fleeting moment directly and unadulterated. In his late painterly work, Raoul Dufy works in the peinture tonale , with each picture being dominated by a dominant primary color. The artist has an extensive legacy which, in addition to paintings, also includes numerous ceramics, tapestries, illustrations and stage sets.

born 1877 in Le Havre, France
In 1899 he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris with Léon Bonnart
1906 First exhibition in the Berthe Weill gallery
1909 Stay in Munich with his friend, the painter Emile Othon Friesz
1911 Beginning of his collaboration with the great fashion designer Paul Poiret
1920 Set design for Jean Cocteau’s play Le Boeuf sur le toit
1923 Beginning of his occupation with ceramics
1937 Monumental mural La Fée Electricité for the Paris World Exhibition
1938 Exhibitions in galleries in London, Basel, New York, Chicago
1952 International Prize at the 18th Venice Biennale
died 1953 Forcalquier, France