21

JEAN DUFY
French, (1888-1964)
La Ville
oil on canvas
signed lower left "Jean Dufy"

oil on canvas
18 x 21 3/4 inches

  • Provenance: The artist; Findlay Galleries, Inc., Chicago, Illinois (acquired from the artist in 1962); Private Collection, South Carolina.
  • Notes: A Findlay Galleries label is on the reverse, their inventory number E1607 is on the stretcher.

    Framed dimensions: 25 x 28 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches

    Jean Dufy was born in Le Havre, France in 1888 to an artistic family with eleven children. His older brother, Raoul, encouraged him to paint. As a young man he saw the 1906 Le Havre Exposition that included works by Matisse, Derain, Marquet and Picasso. At the Ecole des Beaux Arts in le Havre, he studied under his brother, Raoul, and Othon Friesz. He followed Raoul to Paris where he met Picasso and Braque.

    After his military service from 1910-1912, Dufy lived in Paris and he began exhibiting muted watercolors influenced by Cezanne. In 1916, Dufy embarked on a thirty-year career of decorating porcelain for Théodore Haviland in Limoges. He earned a gold medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts for the"Châteaux de France" set of porcelain.

    Back in Paris in 1920, Dufy settled in Montmartre, where Georges Braque was his neighbor. He begin to exhibit his paintings and his work was included in expositions in Paris (Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées in 1920, 1923, 1924, 1927, and 1932, Galerie Bingin 1929) and New York (Balzac Galleries in 1930, Perls Galleries in 1938). He enjoyed success as an artist and was able to travel throughout Europe and North Africa finding new subjects to paint.

    Dufy traveled extensively throughout the 1950s, but it is obvious through the subjects of his works that Paris was the place he considered home and his favorite subject matter. Of his Paris paintings, historian and scholar Jacques Bailly notes, "In his oil paintings and watercolors, Jean Dufy chose to represent the city using a constantly evolving creative process dominated by a harmony of blue tones. For Jean, blue was an insatiable source of inspiration for the Gates of Paris, the streets, the horse-drawn carriages, the Eiffel Tower, the sky, and the Seine."

    In the present lot, Dufy painted a bright blue sky that casts a shadow of blue over the red and yellow buildings and the street. The spontaneous and quick brushstrokes capture the hustle and bustle of the busy street and the movement of the people.



    Tags: listed artist, oil painting, 20th century, city scene, French scene, European, Paris
  • Condition: in excellent overall condition; unlined canvas, in it's original frame.
    Condition Report Note:
    We are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Shannon’s is merely a subjective qualified opinion. Frames on all paintings are sold "As Is". Frames may need some conservation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD “AS IS” IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE. Thank you for your interest in our sale.

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