JEAN DUFY (1888 – 1964)
Jean Dufy was a French painter of Parisian society, country scenes, circuses, horse races, stages, and orchestras.
He was born in Le Havre, into a large family. His elder brother was the well-known painter Raoul Dufy, who became Jean’s mentor throughout his career.
In 1920 Jean Dufy settled in the artist quarter of Montmartre, next door to Georges Braque. Braque, a friend of his brother Raoul Dufy, encouraged him to experiment with the Cubist style. He also spent time there with Picasso, Apollinaire, and Derain, among others. After settling in Montmartre, Dufy participated in many exhibitions, which reflected the music and art of Parisian culture after the war. Dufy created colourful paintings of circuses and clowns, as well as Parisian street scenes, the gates of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the bridges of the Seine. Another favourite theme of Dufy were landscapes, like this one painted in the countryside of Limousin.
There are already two volumes of Catalogue Raisonné written by Jacques Bailly and a third one is in preparation right now. This painting will be included in the third volume.
