Jean Dufy

Le Cirque

circa 1950

Jean Dufy was a French Art Deco artist, best known for his colourful, melodic depictions of post-war Parisian society. Working to capture everyday life, from concert halls and circuses to country landscapes and busy Parisian streets, Dufy focused on recreating the feeling and impression of a scene, rather than individual details. In 1906, Dufy visited the exhibition ‘Cercle de l’Art Moderne’ in La Havre, and it was this show that eventually inspired him to pursue an artistic career. The exhibit, one of Dufy’s first exposures to Modern Art, crucially shaped his approach to art and introduced him to artists such as Picasso and Matisse. While he had no formal training, his older brother was well-known French Fauvist Raoul Dufy, who served as his artistic mentor. In January 1914, Dufy launched his artistic career, holding his first show at Galerie Berthe Weil. He returned to Paris after the war and settled in the Montmartre district of Paris, moving next door to artist George Braque, who encouraged Dufy to experiment with Cubism. His personal painting style developed into a vibrant fusion of Post-Impressionism with a loose decorative approach to colour and line, which he achieved from his work in porcelain design. For almost 30 years, Dufy worked for Limoge porcelain manufacturer Theodore Haviland, hand-painting decorative designs of animals and flowers. At the 1925 L’exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs he was awarded a gold medal for designing the service ‘Châteaux de France’. Dufy participated in many exhibitions, including the Salon d’Automne, which reflected the popularity of jazz music and the art of Parisian culture after the war. Dufy would return to his native Normandy throughout his life and spent long stretches of time in the south of France. The dynamism of these landscapes and cityscapes - particularly noticeable in the street scene Route de Rives (Touraine)- are so cleverly captured due to Dufy’s uniquely musical and distinctive Post-Impressionistic style.