Oil on canvas. 267x330 mm; 10 1/2x13 inches. Signed in oil, lower left recto.
This work will be included in the forthcoming Jean Dufy Catalogue Raisonné currently in preparation by Jacques Bailly, Paris; with a photo certificate of authenticity signed by Bailly and dated October 20, 2008.
Dufy (1888-1964) was born into an artistic family in Le Havre; his older brother, Raoul Dufy (see lots 468-471), was a teacher at l'École des Beaux Arts where Jean was a student before both decided to move on to greater opportunities. Between 1910 and 1914, Dufy balanced his studio practice with military service, stationed in different areas of France with intermittent stints in Paris, where he became enmeshed in the circle of Derain, Braque, Picasso and Apollinaire. Dufy settled in Montmartre, experimenting the avant-garde in his work by combining the Fauve's vibrant color palette with Cubist spatial sensibilities. He began showing his work among these contemporaries at the Salon d'Automne, where he exhibited in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Dufy became best-known for his panoramic views of modern Paris, capturing the architecture, activities and electricity of the city. The Place de la Concorde was one of Dufy's favored subjects, appearing in dozens of canvases he created from the 1930s through the 1950s. The plaza is the largest in Paris, situated in the heart of the city between the Champs-Élysées, the Tuileries Gardens and the Seine. Dufy's stylized take on the public square captures its energy while focusing on such national symbols as the Eiffel Tower and the Palais Bourbon.
