Why are they called Fauves?

Artists Henri Matisse, André Derain, Albert Marquet, Maurice de Vlaminck, Kees van Dongen and others were called Fauves because of the words of an art critic. After viewing a Fauvist exhibition at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, France, in 1905, critic Louis Vauxcelles wrote a scathing review of the colorful, bold paintings he saw. In it, he called the artists “fauves,” which is French for wild beasts. Although he meant it as an insult, the artists embraced the term, seeing it as a sign that their rejection of the conventions of painting was having the intended effect on viewers. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Fauvist art.