Kees van Dongen (1877 - 1968) (after)

NAME:                      La Matchiche 

ENGLISH NAME:   The Matchiche

MEDIUM:                Color lithograph

SIGNATURE:          Signed in the plate

SIZE:                        17.5 x 21.5 inches

ABOUT:

This album, Fauves,  the seventh in a series devoted to the collection of Mr. Pierre Levy, was done by Michael Hoog.  Limited edition printed in 1000 copies on Arches vellum, completed to print in 1972 by Mourlot for reproductions of the canvas of Kees van Dongen.

Fernand Mourlot, Paris 1972. 

IMAGE is ACTUAL WORK

Please contact us to request further information or additional images. 

Possible browning of arches paper due to age, but image is in excellent condition.

Kees van Dongen (1877 – 1968)

Born Cornelis Theodorus Maria 'Kees' van Dongen (1877 –1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauves.  Fauves was coined by art critic Louis Vauxcelles for the group of artist that used bright colors. By 1905 he had left the influence of his training and symbolism style to become more controversial by exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne exhibit with a more radical form and color. 

His most important period is considered to be 1905-1920 where he focused on dancers, singers, masquerades, theater and all types of after-hours life.  When he started to exhibit in Paris with Matisse, Derain, Marquet, Vlaminck, Camoin and Puy, he moved into a more avante-garde styling.  Other artist that were moving to this form included, i Vlaminck, Friesz, Rousseau, Delaunay, Marquet, and Vuillard.  These painters all felt the need to renew their methods of painting. Van Dongen (married to Augusta Preitinger by now) moved to Montmartre in 1906 where he was part of Pablo Picasso’s circle.  He sold paintings, did sketches for a newspaper and held costume balls which he charge admission for all to make money.

It was after the World War I that he started to create the lush colors of his Fauvist style.  This helped cement a reputation in the upper class of France where he had a demand for his portraits.  Some of his subjects were:

Arletty                                       a French actress

Louis Barthou                           a French politician

Sacha Guitry                             a French actor

Leopold III of Belgium              King of Belgium

Anna de Noailles                       a French writer

Madame Grès                            a French couturier

Maurice Chevalier                     a French Singer

By 1959, Kees van Dongen was not living Monaco.  Nine years later he would die. A large part of his work is held by the New National Museum of Monaco.